The Pugilist
by Jcani
Summary: When an ancient evil comes back and threatens to ravage Equestria, Princess Celestia finds herself contacting the human world in an effort to find help. But with this evil being human as well, how will their supposed champion cope with such a task? (Currently under HEAVY revision)
1. Prelude to adventure

_**Hello all, first MLP fic, kinda got into FIM a little later than most but w/e. Hope you all enjoy and please, review :)**_

* * *

It was Princess Luna's time of Equestria, the night. Ponyville was in a state of rest, its citizens recovering from a day of work, and restoring more for the next. Twilight Sparkle, Ponyville's Librarian and resident magical expert was lying in her bed above her covers, too tired to crawl underneath. Beside her bed, in a basket twice the size of her bed was a purple mass with green spikes. Growling noises began to emit from the mass, which caused Twilight to stir. She opened her eyes, bags underneath, and turned to the mass with a disproving look.

"Spike." The mass unfurled and a reptilian head upon a long thick neck uncoiled and faced her direction.

"Mmm, yes Twi?" Spike's voice was deep and booming. His eyes were half-open and the same growl continued to emit from him. Before answering, Twilight took time to look-over the once tiny Spike. His head was no longer rounded, but elongated. He now had a neck which was the size of her, and connected to a large and muscled body. His arms and legs were incredibly bulky and muscled as well, and on his back were fierce and magnificent wings that when unfurled, were the size of shower drapes. The skin flaps were a light green and diaphanous. Twilight let out a long sigh. This transformation took place over the course of three weeks.

Within the first, he was as large as he was when he first grew through greed. By the second he was twice her size and the framework for his wings appeared. By the third he towered over her and his head began to take on its draconic form.

"Never mind Spike, sorry to wake you up," Twilight said as she turned over in her bed to look away. Spike had now gotten out of his basket, and limbered towards Twilight's bed. He placed his head emphatically on the bedside and nudged her back with his nose.

"Twilight, are you mad at me or something," he asked as he continued to nudge her with his nose. A small column of smoke began to leave his nostrils and tickle Twilight's back. Unable to ignore the irritation, she turned to face Spike.

"It's nothing Spike," Twilight softly placed her hoof on Spike's face and caressed it, "you were just growling in your sleep again." Spike's eyes opened wide and he slowly lifted his head up and away from Twilight.

"Oh, I'm sorry Twilight. I guess I can't help it. I should sleep in the forest to-"

"Nonono!" Twilight quickly interjected. She stood up in her bed and looked Spike in the eye. "Spike, no, _I'm _sorry. I'm just having a hard time adjusting to your growth spurt. Please stay inside." Spiked took a moment to examine Twilight apprehensively. He noticed the bags under her eyes, the unkempt mane, and the small wobble in her legs.

"Twilight, I can tell you're tired, you could use some rest. I'll be fine in the forest. I'm a dragon after all," he said with a smirk. To expand on his point, he flexed his claw legs in an exhibitionist manner. A small giggle escaped from Twilight.

"Don't ever change Spike."

"A little late to be worrying about that," was Spike's smart reply. Spike turned and walked over to the balcony.

"Spike! Your wings aren't ready yet, you can't fly!" Twilight stamped her hoof on her bed which had produced a muffled squeak.

"I can glide at the very least," he responded as he began to flap his wings. With a powerful push from his hind legs he ascended into the air and away from the balcony. Within moments he was out of sight. Twilight's horn began to glow with magic.

"You aren't getting away from me Spike," she declared. With a sudden poof and in a flash of magic, she was off her bed and now on Spike's back. To her surprise, he wasn't gliding to the forest but lying down by the base of the tree-library. A groan rumbled out of Spike's throat as he arched his long neck outwards and directed his head towards Twilight.

"I should be fine here, right? You should get back to bed Twi." To end the matter, he coiled his head into his body and began fake-snoring.

Once again, a sigh escaped from Twilight's chest. "Sleep well Spike." She slowly rubbed his back with a hoof before jumping off and heading back in.

Once she was in her bed she stared at the ceiling and allowed her thoughts to wander.

_Spike's growing up so fast now. He's almost as big as those teenage dragons from that one time. _A picture of Spike's muscled physique in comparison to the either fat or scrawny adolescent dragons she has seen had come to her mind. _He actually looks a lot tougher too. I wonder why that is…_

"Brraaaaap!" The violent sound had jerked Twilight upwards from her bed. She gotten off of her bed and sauntered over to the window. Shoving it open, she looked down at Spike. The grass in front of him was singed.

"Spike, was that you?" She summoned an amount of luminescence through her horn to reveal the dragon, the burnt grass, and the letter that lay before him. Spike, somewhat peeved, flicked the letter upwards towards twilight before coiling back into himself. He had also unfurled his wings and used it to cover the rest of his body. Twilight caught the letter using her magic, and had unrolled it onto her desk.

It read:

_My Dearest and Most Faithful Student Twilight Sparkle_

_Forgive me for the late hour this letter must be arriving to you, and please apologize to Spike on my behalf as well. I regret to inform you that, just like changeling incident that had taken place months before, that I am unprepared for another travesty that has befallen Equestria. An evil being has come to power, an evil being that was thought to be gone thousands of years ago. We are not sure of the extent of his power, but Luna agrees that threat should not be taken lightly. Just so that you understand the potential power of this threat, I must inform you that Star Swirl himself had found it fit to banish this being within a magical void and exiled the rest of his kind to another world. Please, gather your friends and meet me at the Star Swirl wing of the Royal Canterlot Library. I will explain more there._

_ Your Princess, Celestia_

"Oh my gosh!" Twilight ran back to the window. "Spike! Wake up!" A column of fire erupted from Spike's mouth in anger.

"What is it now?" He looked up towards Twilight who had narrowly avoided getting her mane on fire. "Princess Celestia needs our help! Equestria is being threatened by an evil force!"

"_Again_? This is the fifth time!"

"There's no time to complain!" Twilight ran to a nearby shelf, picked up a scroll, ran back to the window and tossed it at Spike. "You can go get Rarity and the two of you can go get Fluttershy and she can get Rainbow Dash who's probably somewhere in the sky. Have Rarity use the scroll to teleport to Canterlot, it shouldn't be too hard. I'll go get Pinkie Pie and Applejack and I'll use my magic to bring them to Canterlot. Now catch me!" Twilight bounded out the window and into Spike's open arms. After he had placed her down she dashed to Sugar Cube corner.

* * *

A large amount of cheering emanated from the crowd as they watched the two fighters, their fists encircled by boxing gloves, strafe around each other in a circular fashion. Near the left corner stood a Caucasian male, his skin almost comically pink, and his blonde hair styled upwards into a Mohawk. With his speedy footwork, he seemed to dance around the other boxer, much to the crowd's delight. He had black shorts which sported several of his sponsorships, most of which were sporting goods manufacturers.

Near the right corner was the Asian-American boxer. He had a pale tan and had rather messy black hair. Above his lip was a medium mustache that failed to grow in the groove beneath his nose. Under his bottom lip was a soul patch and on his chin a light goatee that continued to grow under his jaw. He somewhat resembled a young Manny Paquiao, something many of his commentators have pointed out, and furthered the stereotype that Asians look alike.

"Ni-chol-son! Ni-chol-son!" The crowd chanted. This cheer drove the blonde boxer, Jake Nicholson, to perform more incredible feats of footwork, teasing the more reserved boxer hidden behind his guard.

"Somebody throw a punch already!" The request was cried out from someone in the audience. Jake obliged and closed the distance on his opponent. He rattled off small jabs in quick succession, causing the Manny look-alike to seek refuge behind his arms. Jake, unrelenting, then threw an over-hand right which had caught the other boxer in the forehead and caused him to stumble back.

Jake closed in once again in an attempt to upset his opponent's balance, when suddenly; a fierce right had fired off into his left cheek. Jake maintained his footing despite the intensity of the blow and the Asian-American boxer fell down, having thrown the punch during his stumble. Within a moment he was back up and behind his guard when the bell rang and signaled the end of the round. Both boxers took a seat in their respective corners.

"What did I tell you about letting him close?!" The cornerman for the raven-hair boxer bellowed at him. Before he could answer, a seven-year old girl, her hair long dyed in a rainbow-colored fashion, wearing a light blue hoodie which bore an insignia in the shape of a cloud releasing a rainbow-colored lightning bolt, appeared by the boxer's side with a bottle of water.

He spat out his mouth guard disdainfully at his cornerman's feet and appreciatively placed the straw in his mouth. He sucked out a small amount of water, swallowed a little, and spat out the rest, as most boxers do.

"Thank you, Tiff," he said. He then looked back up to his cornerman. "You were saying?"

The cornerman placed his hands on the boxer's shoulders before proceeding. "Dammi-"

"Ahem, language." The boxer interrupted as he motioned his head in the direction of the little girl.

"Grrr, fine look, Jessie, you're letting him come to close. Keep an arm extended if you have to. He's too fast and he'll easily wear you down." The boxer, Jessie Santiago, rolled his eyes at the advice he was given.

"Yeah, I already know that Chaz. He's just a little fast, okay?"

"Ah crap. Don't tell me you can't read him?" Upon hearing the question, a cocky smile appeared on Jessie's face.

"Are you kidding? Like. A. Book. I was just using this round to see a few things." Satisfied at the answer, Chaz smiled and picked up the mouth guard before shoving it in Jessie's mouth.

"You can do it bro!" This proud exclamation came from Tiff as she punched Jessie in the shoulder. Jessie nodded at her before getting up and walking to the center of the ring.

The bell sounded, and Jake once again began his footwork. With a deft skip to the left, he fired a simple one-two combination at the right side of Jessie's face. Jessie used his glove to deflect the weaker left jab and ducked under the wide right swing. From his lowered position, he quickly stood straight up while simultaneously firing off a powerful right hand uppercut into the Jaw of Jake Nicholson which had nearly brought him off the ground. Jessie then unleashed a quick jab with his left which had knocked Jake down.

The referee immediately went between them and directed him to the furthest neutral corner. "Wow, ten seconds in the 6th round," Tiff whispered to Chaz.

"I was expecting him to do something sooner. Doesn't he usually know what's going on by the 4th round?" Chaz started twirling his thumbs together nervously. "I hope he's not losing his edge. Not so soon. His career just started!" He wailed as he placed his face in his hands in agony. A small chuckle left Tiff as she found the source of Chaz's dismay.

"Oh you silly pony, you."

"Wha-? Pony?"

"Jessie didn't have time to watch any of Jake's fights because he was busy making preparations for our getaway to San Diego! We're leaving tonight!" Chaz's jaw dropped at the news.

"San Diego?! But why?!" He had grabbed Tiff and attempted to shake an answer from her.

"We're going there to see the booth in Comic-Con for My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic!" She had said this news dramatically, even raising her hands up in the air in excitement. Chaz applied his palm to his face and groaned.

"So you're telling me, he risked losing, just so he can go to a convention and spend money on girly clothes, and toys, and, and, and…" Chaz trailed off after seeing the glare he was receiving from Tiff. "Wanna try saying that to his face?" She challenged.

"Er, um, no, that's okay. Let's just keep this between us." He motioned his finger between himself and her and laughed nervously, and then turned back to the ring to watch his boxer.

Jake had gotten up. Jessie clearly had the momentum now, with Jake now too nervous to get in close. Jessie made no effort to keep him away this time, his guard now lowered, practically inviting him in. Jake took a step in with his left foot cautiously and fired a probing left jab. Jessie didn't even bother to move as the distance between the two fighters made it so that the punch didn't even reach. A small amount of laughter came from the crowd which had prompted Jake to throw cautious to the wind as he rattled off a flurry of punches at Jessie's guard.

_Crap, he got faster. _Jessie kept his guard up as he was slowly backed into a corner.

_My arms… _The more Jake kept pounding away at Jessie's defenses, the lower Jessie's arms got. Jessie was now in the corner, having turned into a punching bag.

_Oh god, here they go. _Jessie's arms gave way and a small barrage of punches struck his chest. He ducked out to the side and sent a wild punch into Jake's shoulder before once again putting up his guard.

_Well, that's one more point… _

"TING," sang the bell, and Jessie limbered to his corner where his seat awaited him. Once again, Chaz was up against his face. "You told me you could read him! You had him for that first half of the round! What's going on?!" Jessie had to wipe some of spit off his face that flew from Chaz's mouth. Tiff removed his mouth guard and placed the straw in his mouth. Jessie eagerly sipped large quantities of water, and rather than spitting out like before, swallowed every mouthful. An incredulous look appeared on Chaz's face.

"What are you DOING!? You're gonna bloat! You're gonna cramp! Why would you even-"

"I'm ending it here. Tiff, mouth guard." Jessie opened his mouth as Tiff placed it inside. He patted Chaz on the shoulder and smiled, as much as the mouth guard allowed him to and proceeded to the center of the ring.

Once again, Jake used his footwork to good use, dancing circles around Jessie. The second half of the previous round had reinvigorated him and a smirk had appeared on Jake's face.

_You won't be smiling for long. _Jessie placed his arms up defensively and Jake immediately rushed in.

_As expected. _Jessie's arms shot out and performed a one-two jab combination, catching Jake in the chin. Having practically ran into the punches, Jake reeled from the blow. _Not done yet! _Jessie then fired a left hook which had caused Jake to stumble to the side. _But wait! There's more. _An unmerciful right cross then traveled across Jake's face, leaving him sprawled on the ground once more and again, Jessie was directed to the corner by the referee.

"1!"

"2!"

_Please don't get up._

"3!"

Jake started to come to.

"4!"

"5!"

Jake then made an effort to get up.

"6!"

_Ah crap, he's gonna get up!_

"7!"

As Jake tried to get up, he had lost his balance and crashed to the ground.

"8!"

_Stay down you stubborn bastard._

"9!"

No response came from Jake.

"10!"

_Yes!_

The bell sang of his victory as the ringing filled the stadium. Despite not being the crowd favorite, a large cheer had erupted from the crowd. Fifteen seconds in the 7th round he had knocked out one of the prime contenders for the WBO light heavy-weight belt. Chaz and Tiff ran into the ring to embrace him.

"You did it! You dumb but smart prizefighter you! Keep this up! We might just score our first _**major sponsor!" **_Chaz had practically squealed in delight at the thought. "Think about it! This mouth guard you have right now could be replaced! Replaced by one of those high tech mouth guards that you don't have to take out whenever you want to talk or drink! I don't have to keep picking it up and shoving it into your filthy mouth! And the equipment we could get! Not to mention all the…" Chaz's words were lost amongst the cheering of the audience.

* * *

Princess Celestia paced restlessly within the Star Swirl the Bearded section of the library. To her side was a pink crystal atop a pedestal, classically cut and placed in an ornate silver foundation encrusted with sapphires on the side, a ruby in the center, and emeralds in between. Every time she passed by the crystal she glanced nervously at it. She had started biting her bottom lip nervously when she had felt a sudden influx of magic. She looked towards the crystal hopefully but frowned when nothing came from it.

"Princess Celestia!" Celestia turned to the other direction and saw her faithful student Twilight and her friends coming towards her. Behind the group of ponies was Spike, who had to limber on all fours to avoid bumping his head on the ceiling.

"My little ponies, and my dear Spike, I'm glad you all could make it."

"Just point me to the problem Princess, I'll have it solved in no time!" Rainbow Dash had begun shadow boxing imaginary foes while remaining suspended in flight. Applejack bit Rainbow Dash's tail and pulled her to the floor.

"Now you hold it there for a minute Dashy and let the Princess speak."

"Well said Applejack," said Twilight. She turned to the princess, "Princess Celestia, what was this evil you spoke of?"

Before answering Twilight's question Celestia glanced back at the crystal before turning back to Twilight. "I may as well tell you now. This threat that-" A sudden vibration had interrupted Princess Celestia as it filled the room and the pink crystal ball had begun to glow immensely. After a sudden flash, a red-headed woman with pinkish-white skin, sparkling white teeth, and a lanyard with a laminated pass that read _Comic-Con _had appeared before them.

"Lady Reyes, I was worried you would not be able make it." Princess Celestia bowed her head and the woman returned the gesture.

"Please, as I said before, call me Mindy. And I'm sorry I came so late. I received your message as soon I was about to travel somewhere, so I ended up having to take the crystal with me." Mindy smiled at the Princess then turned to the rest of the ponies. As she opened her mouth to speak she was cut off right away by Pinkie Pie.

"What is that!" Pinkie Pie sat on her haunches as she pointed an overly-dramatic hoof at Mindy.

"Pinkie Pie! Manners," Fluttershy whispered to Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy then flew over to Mindy and started to stroke her hair as if she was an animal. "Oh, I do apologize for the behavior of my friend. She has a tendency to become over-dramatic."

"There's no need to apologize for me, I meant nothing by it," Pinkie said as she hopped over to Mindy. Pinkie Pie extended a hoof towards Mindy. "Hi there! I'm-"

"Pinkie Pie." Mindy quickly interjected. Pinkie Pie gasped. "Wow you know me!"

"And you're Fluttershy," Mindy said point at Fluttershy who was still petting her head, "Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash," she continued to point at each respective pony, "and you.. Have grown a lot Spike," she finally said, pointing her finger at Spike.

"Oh Fluttershy, would please stop rubbing her hair? It is rather unbecoming. Speaking of your hair, I do love your hair; may I ask where you had it done?" Rarity had also walked over to Mindy, enchanted by her hair. Twilight's horn glowed with magic as she transported the three of her friends back to her side. "Girls, we're getting off topic! I'm sorry Princess Celestia."

"It is quite alright Twilight. Now then, while I would like to address the problem right away, I should give you girls a brief history lesson so that I may preemptively answer some of your questions. Ahem," Princess Celestia cleared her throat in preparation for an extended period of talking.

"Thousands of years ago, long before the discovery of Equestria, ponies have lived in another land, this I'm sure you all already know. Aside from Pegasi, Earth Ponies, Unicorns, this land was also shared with other beings such as dragons, donkeys and other sentient beings. One of these sentient races was extremely violent, even much more violent than dragons. They were called, or, I should say, they _are _called, Humans. That is what Mindy is." Princess Celestia gestured towards Mindy before continuing.

"They existed with us long before Star Swirl had even grown his beard. These humans were a very war-like race, if they weren't waging war with another species, they would wage war amongst themselves. They were very devastating to encounter in battle and many large pony armies have fallen to smaller human armies.

A human warrior, while lacking the speed and strength of a pony, had the advantage of being able to stand on two legs constantly, while wielding specialized weapons in their hands, making them an extremely mobile and dangerous opponent to get close too. They were also an innovative species, creating new weapons, and new forms of armor to counter whatever we had created to stop them. But what truly made fighting them in battle such a horrible experience was this: their immunity to their own magic. This had allowed human wizards to cast extremely destructive spells on the battlefield without causing harm to their own warriors whilst simultaneously decimating Pony forces.

It took the combined might of the rest of the sentient beings to bring down the human armies that were led by an incredibly powerful wizard by the name of Baade. He was defeated by Star Swirl as well as by me and my sister Luna. Star Swirl then used his magic to banish Baade into a void. The remaining human population was around only one thousand, on the verge of extinction. Star Swirled scanned the universe with his mind, trying to find a world where he may exile them to.

He had found the planet Earth. Not only was it a habitable world, but the planet also had other Humans living on it. He then transported himself and the other humans to this planet, carefully distributing them around the world as to not upset any societies already in place. Once he finished, he created two crystal balls, one he kept hidden in the human world, and one kept hidden here, in our world. The purpose of these crystals was to act as a link between the human world and ours so that he may go back to Earth and observe the humans, to see if it would be safe if humans and ponies could interact. Unfortunately, just like the humans that once lived here in our world, the humans on Earth were just as violent. He then hid this crystal so that it may never be found through normal means and never disclosed its location to either Luna or I."

Princess Celestia then stepped to the side and motioned towards the crystal ball in the silver foundation. "This is the crystal he has hidden on our world. I had located this crystal a mere thirty-five years ago. Normally I would not have found it were it not for the large influx of magic I felt coming from its hidden location. I flew there and found a woman by the name of Bonnie sitting by the crystal, quite dumbfounded. Apparently, she had stumbled upon the human-side crystal by mistake. Not knowing what to do with her, I brought her to a Seer. The Seer invoked a shared vision between Bonnie and me. We saw you ponies and the events of Nightmare Moon. We had seen Discord breaking free from his stony prison, and we had seen a human. Bonnie however was not worried, but inspired. She wanted to create a toy line in the human world based off the vision she had received.

I had let her go on one condition, not to tell anyone that this land truly existed. She agreed, and some of you have existed on Earth as toys, years before you were actually born here on Equestria, because of the vision she and I had. I had never heard from Bonnie again. Three years before this night, another human by the name of Lauren had appeared here via the crystal. I was angry to learn that Bonnie had given Lauren the crystal, breaking her promise, but Lauren proved to be rather friendly.

Lauren came here to Equestria looking for ideas to create a story for a type of media called a 'Television show'. I had shown her the letters you have written me, and told her of the events that had transpired over the last two years. After a while, Lauren has expressed that she no longer works on the project, and no longer wished to watch the crystal, so I had allowed her to hand the crystal over to Mindy. Lauren's show was a success and has received much love from the humans there, which leads me to believe that if humans were brought to Equestria, they would love it enough not to destroy it with war, as they did before in our previous land."

"But Princess, why would you even consider bringing humans back?" Twilight asked.

"That is because somehow, Baade escaped from the void he was imprisoned in. I had falsely assumed that Mindy was the human that I saw in my vision, but I was wrong. Baade is an incredibly powerful human wizard and I cannot show even an ounce of mercy to him. This is why I asked for your presence here today," Princess Celestia turned to Mindy, "Mindy. I need you to acquire for me a small group of elite human combatants to help me take on Baade. His magic is powerful and having beings immune to it would surely help."

"Then what's the point of bringing us here?" The question had come from Spike, and Celestia had gasped after hearing how loud and deep Spike's voice was. After recovering she answered, "As I said before, we cannot show him any mercy. While I do expect some human forces to be coming that does not mean we will sit idly by and let this… this…" Princess Celestia turned to Mindy. "The word you're looking for is 'man', Princess." Mindy said.

"Right, we won't let this man wreak his havoc across Equestria. Mindy," Princess Celestia then turned back to Mindy, "I only want a _small _force. I do not believe Equestria is ready for any large human armies yet."

"Well, with all due respect Princess, I doubt that I can even convince a single person to come here. You overestimate the amount of power I actually hold in the human world, which is essentially none. I literally have zero resources and-"

"_Please _Mindy," Celestia begged, "Please try." Mindy sighed and crossed her arms. "Okay fine, I'll see if I can find a few people to come."

"And they must be well-accustomed to combat."

"You're pushing your luck Princess." With that said, Mindy had grasped the crystal. A bright pink flash appeared, blinding everyone. There was no trace of Mindy within the wing. Princess Luna had then walked in, using her magic to carry alongside her the box that contained the Elements of Harmony. Celestia opened the box and placed each element on its respective pony.

"Luna, if you would please."

"Of course sister." Luna's horn was engulfed in a magical glow as she directed her magic into a swirl in front of her. The swirl, which had started out as blue-black mass of magic, began to clear and an image began to take shape. It revealed a man, laughing manically, his hands raised up into the air as dark clouds converged in an area far above him. Lightning flew from the clouds, heavy rain fell, and powerful winds had enveloped him.

The man had a cliché wizardly look about him. He had purple robes and a pointed purple hat. His beard was long and white as was the hair on his head. Stabbed into the ground by his side was a gnarled staff adorned with a light green orb on top. His eyes were malevolently red and his pale-white hands were bony.

"This is Baade," Celestia said with finality. Fluttershy had clung to Pinkie Pie who had started to laugh at the man's appearance. Rarity had taken refuge behind Spike, who proudly stood between her and the image. Rainbow Dash looked as if she wanted to beat up the image and had to be restrained by Applejack who biting down on her tail. Twilight's eyes widened immensely as she examined the man's use of magic.

"To be able to control the weather in such a way, Princess Celestia, do you think we could stand a chance? Not even Discord was this-"

"Vehement? Vicious? Savage?" Spoke up Rarity from behind Spike. Upon hearing the adjectives, Fluttershy squealed and released Pinkie Pie before dashing off behind Spike and clinging to his tail.

"Girls, I know our chances look grim, but so are Mindy's chances of actually arriving with reinforcements on time. We must act now. Luna," Celestia turned to Luna and made a motion with her head. Luna nodded and ended her spell. Then both Princesses brought forth their magic and enveloped the group in a sparkling glow. With a _zap _they were gone from the library.

They reappeared beside a large boulder. The sky above them was foreboding, covered in dark clouds that occasionally fired lightning bolts. The land they were standing in, aside from the giant boulder, was quite desolate. The ground was orange, as was the boulder, and far off into the distance the group could see towering spires with precariously balanced rocks on the tips. On the other side of the boulder, they spotted the wizard, still continuing to laugh and control the weather. By now it was early morning, around five am.

"There he is! Why I oughta-" As Rainbow Dash began to fly towards the man; Applejack had once again bit into her tail.

"Gosh darn it Rainbow, you better simmer down now," Applejack said with her teeth clenched tightly on Rainbow Dash's tail.

"Rainbow Dash, please calm down. The Princesses obviously have a plan. You two do have a plan, right?" Twilight looked at the princesses nervously.

"Allow me to explain it, sister." Celestia nodded her approval to Luna. "We, and no I'm not using the royal 'we', but my sister and I, along with Spike," Spike picked up his head to listen, "are going to engage him directly. This should keep him from noticing the spell that you, Twilight, shall be directing with your friends behind this boulder. Once we have him in position, we'll call out for you, and you'll direct a powerful blast of energy at him. We'll do our best to keep him away from this boulder."

"And," Princess Celestia added, "do make sure _not _to come out until we say so. The fight is sure to take a while since we would like to take him down in one hit. Is every pony ready?" The group nodded in response, and Luna and Celestia bounded over the boulder, confronting the man.

"Aw jeez, here I go…" Spike walked around the boulder, anxiously walking into his first real fight.

Spike stood between the two Alicorns, and all three faced the back of the human.

"Steel yourself Spike, you're a dragon, are you not?" Luna used a wing to pat Spike assuredly on the back. He swallowed hard. "Um, I guess so." No sooner had he answered had Princess Celesta bellowed at the wizard.

"Baade! Turn and face your undoing!" Celestia's challenge had reached his ears, and he lowered his arms. The storm had calmed, but the sky was still covered by black clouds that distilled heavy rain. He turned to them, an impetuous smirk plastered on his face.

"Well, well, well. I was wondering when my little storm was going to bring the princesses." He eyed the dragon that stood in between them. "Oh? And what's this, a prepubescent dragon? Are you two so desperate without your dear Swirly Whirly that you bring a near-baby dragon along?"

"Who're you calling a baby?!" Spike shot a narrow green flame at the man who had ducked under the intense fire.

"My, my, quite the temper. How about you, Princess Luna, would you like a stab at me? Or how about your older sister, Celestia?" Baade opened his arms wide and exposed his chest.

"Still as confident as ever Baade. We would think that your previous defeat would have left you a little more humble."

"And of course you're still as naïve as ever, Celestia! As if you and Luna over there had a major hand in my defeat! No, if I was defeated, it was because of that Star Swirl." Baade seethed as he said Star Swirl's name. "So tell me, after what, thousands of years, has the stallion grown old and died?"

Princess Luna and Princess Celestia glared daggers at the human wizard. "Oh, your expressions say yes."

"How did you escape, Baade?" Princess Luna asked, still continuing to leer at Baade.

"Well, if you must know, it was an oversight on Star Swirl's behalf. Yes he had banished me into the void, but voids, by their very nature, are magical realms. I spent what felt like eternity harnessing the magical energies. I've used some energy keeping myself as I were, preserving my age, but the rest I stored, and built up within my body. After a few millennia my body could not take it anymore. I released the energy and ripped open a tear in the void. I was sucked through the rip and reappeared back in the plains in which I had my final battle with you two and Star Swirl. I was incredibly weak, having spent nearly all my magic escaping. I had disguised myself as a pony and looked for a settlement. I found a rather small town and lo and behold, to my surprise, I had learned that most of the ponies had moved to a new land called Equestria, and that it was ruled by two Pegasus Unicorns. Why, I just _had _to visit. But enough talk, come then Champions of Equestria! Show me how much the art of battle has changed over the years!"

The sisters took off into the air and flanked him, with Spike running on all fours charging up the middle of the pincer attack. Luna and Celestia each shot a beam of magic at him, which prompted him to hop back. Within moments, Spike was in front of him, his right claw raised to strike. As he brought his claw downwards, his hand was suddenly stayed by an uncrushable force. Baade had raised his left hand upwards and created a small magical shield that had stopped Spike's claw. Thinking quickly, Spike spun, and struck Baade in the gut with his tail, knocking him to his back.

Unrelenting, the sisters fired their magic at him once more. Their beams combined, and struck him in his chest, pushing him deeper into the ground. A large cloud of dirt and smoke appeared, obscuring the three's vision from the body of the wizard. As the haze cleared they were greeted by the sight of a small crater, with Baade's body noticeably absent. The princesses landed and Celestia approached the crater, looking inside.

"Where did he..." The sound of clapping had caught the trio's attention, and they turned to see Baade applaudinging and slowly walking up to them. The mid-section of his robe where Spike had struck him was torn, and his robes were somewhat burnt.

"Bravo dear ponies and dragon. You have succeeded in ruining one of my favorite robes. Well, actually, in this point of time, it's my only robe. Surely there's a seamstress nearby that could-" Before he could drone on any further, a green fireball had been fired from Spike's mouth. "Oh bother." He raised both hands in front of him and conjured a rectangular force field that barely covered the rest of his body. The flame's energy was redirected to the sides and left Baade free from damage.

During his defense, Luna had flanked his right, and was now in a mad bull-rush towards him, her horn lowered and ready to impale. Without lowering his shield, he waited for Luna, and at the last second raised the index finger on his right hand. Once Luna's horn came into contact with the finger, she had stopped in her place, as if she had run into a wall.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. One mustn't run with such pointy objects. You are liable to maim someone." With an absent-minded flick of his finger, he had forced Luna back. "Perhaps I should try a little offense now." He allowed his shield to dissipate and clenched both his hands into fists. A blue fire engulfed his hands. With a sudden burst of speed, he had practically flown towards Luna, his right fist pulled back in preparation for a punch. Luna flew into the air and had just narrowly dodged the flaming fist. The fire from Baade's right fist disappeared, but his left was still flaming. With super-human prowess, he leaped into the air, his left fist raised high in an attempt to uppercut the Princess of the Night.

"You're open!" Baade turned in the air just in time to see Princess Celestia swooping towards him. She caught him in a powerful body slam which sent him back to the ground. Before he hit the ground, he performed an acrobatic back-flip, and landed on his feet. On the ground, waiting for him, was Spike, and he had unleashed the hottest flame he could release at the sorcerer. The flame charred the earth it traveled over and turned the rain droplets it touched into steam as it went on its way to the wizard. Baade had shielded himself once again, this time within a bubble shaped shield than encircled him on all sides.

"That is quite the mastery over flame you possess, young dragon. How would you like the honor of becoming my minion?" Spike answered with a feral roar, and spat another stream of fire at the shielded wizard.

"How long will you cower within your bubble, Baade?" Luna said his name with disgust, and spat after doing so.

"Turn yourself in now, Baade, and we may be more lenient on your punishment." Princess Celestia informed him.

"To be saying such things! You three must think you are actually winning! I think it's time I displayed my _true power._" Baade then shattered his shield, causing an explosion that expanded outwards, away from him. Princess Celestia shielded Luna but both were still caught in the blast and they were thrown back like a pair of ragdolls. Smoke trailed from their coats as they lay on the ground, groaning. Spike rushed in, but was forced to stop when Baade encircled him in a light-green glow, and raised him into the air. With his hand, Baade directed Spike into the princesses, and spike was sent crashing into the pair.

"Now then, you impudent beings, what shall your punishment be?" Baade walked up to the fallen trio. Spike, with whatever strength he had left, unfurled his wings and shielded a princess under each.

"Such a noble gesture, especially for a dragon."

Princess Celestia coughed before speaking. "Baade… you're not… getting away… this easily…" Celestia then closed her eyes and leaned against Spike, panting heavily. "Luna…," Celestia spoke between breaths, "your royal voice… we could… use it now…"

Princess Luna stood up from beneath Spike's wing. Her legs shook violently, and she was on the verge of collapsing. She took in a deep breath. "Everypony! Now!"

"What? I don't even…" Baade stopped speaking after feeling a large magical presence to his side. He turned towards the boulder, and rising above it were six ponies, five of them with a necklace adorned with a charm that matched their cutie marks, and one of them with a crown. They were bathed in a blinding white light, and their eyes glowed with magical power. Baade had to shield his face away from the light. A small glowing white ball appeared at the tip of Twilight's horn.

"What kind of sorcery is this?!"

"Behold the power of the elements of harmony," Princess Celestia said weakly, still continuing to lie against Spike.

"The what?!" Before he could make any further questions, Baade was engulfed in a rainbow colored beam. Princess Luna had fallen down, and Spike took care to cover her with his wing. Once again, a haze of dirt and smoke had covered what had happened to the wizard. After touching the ground, the six ponies ran to the trio.

"Princess Celestia! Princess Luna! Spike! Please tell me you all are okay."

"We're fine, Twilight Sparkle. Though I fear my sister is hurt far worse than I am, shielding me from the blast." Twilight looked under Spike's wing to see Princess Celestia leaning against Spike's body, breathing heavily. "My student… I'll be okay…" Twilight then examined Spike. His eyes were closed and his head rested on his claws. A faint growl emitted from him.

"Is Spike sleeping?" Pinkie Pie asked. She lifted up one of his eyelids and was greeted by a tuft of smoke exhaled through his nostrils. She sat back and began to hack and wheeze.

"Oh, the poor dear! To be forced into combat at such a young age!" Rarity had swooned dramatically. She then walked up to spike and began to rub his head. "I couldn't get to watch but I'm sure you were very brave, my widdle Spiky Wikey." A small grin appeared on Spike's face as Rarity continued to rub his head.

"Oh my, I do hope you three can make a full recovery. I can try to treat your wounds right now, but I haven't much experience beyond woodland creatures." Fluttershy approached Princess Celestia. Beyond the singed coat, she didn't find any other signs of damage. She had begun to stroke Princess Celestia's mane, but stopped when she realized what she was doing.

"I'm so sorry Princess. It was just out of habit, I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay Fluttershy, please, continue. It is quite comforting."

"Oh. Um, yes Princess." Fluttershy continued her petting. Princess Luna had gotten up, and went to the other side of Spike to see her sister's condition. "Sister, I must thank you for shielding me from that blast."

"There is no need for that, Luna. You are my darling sister." Luna made a small effort to get up. "Princess, please, don't exert yourself. You should stay down for the moment."

"Alright, Fluttershy. That is quite a fog you girls created. I would very much like to see what has happened to Baade."

"I'm on it, Princess!" Rainbow Dash saluted and proceeded to fly at top speed through the cloud of dust and dirt. She began flying in a circular fashion, creating a small tornado and gathering all the dust and dirt. She then flew out of it and as the tornado weakened, the dirt and dust funneled into the bottom, creating one large mound of dirt.

With the haze gone, the group was treated to the sight of a crater with a perimeter the size of a small house. The heavy rain had filled the crater quickly, creating a small pond-like water basin.

"Hey look! A pond! I don't think that was there before! Oh wait, silly me, we _made _it. Do you think he's at the bottom of that pond?" Pinkie Pie ran to the edge of the crater and attempted to peer into its depths.

"Pinkie Pie, look out!" Applejack had pushed Pinkie to the side, right before a small bolt of energy had been fired at her from above. "What in tarnation? Who's that shootin' us?" Applejack adjusted her hat and looked upwards. Baade was standing there, in mid-air. He robe was now heavily tattered, and his hat had gone missing. His beard was now frayed, and his hair smelled like it was burning. The cocky smile that had once been on his face was gone, and an incredulous look of anger had taken over.

"One year," he said, raising a finger at the ponies, "in one year, I will be much, MUCH, stronger than I was today. All of you here, as well as everybody in the kingdom of Equestria shall perish under my fury!" With a snap of his fingers, he emitted a small bright flash, and disappeared.


	2. A Whole New World

"Tiff, can you get my glasses?" Jessie called out from the hotel bathroom. As he wiped his hair dry, Tiff walked in, and blared out a shriek. "Oh my gosh, Jess, that's gross!" Tiff turned so she wouldn't have to see her older brother's privates.

"Oh grow up Tiff. When you were a baby I had to give you baths."

"Ohmygosh, shut up!" Tiff rushed out of the bathroom. "Tiff! Glasses!" Tiff walked back into the bathroom backwards and held out his glasses to the side. As Jessie retrieved his glasses, a playful smile appeared on his face. With his index finger he poked her lightly in the back, which elicited another scream from the young girl. She darted from the bathroom and unto a nearby bed, burying her face into a pillow.

"Bro, you're so NASTY!" Tiff's words were slightly muffled by the pillow. "Tiff, it was just my finger! I swear!" Jessie couldn't help but chuckle to himself. After putting on his glasses, Jessie had wiped off the rest of his body. After his boxers, he stepped into his khaki shorts, and pulled a light purple shirt over his torso. Over his heart was a design that depicted Twilight Sparkle's cutie mark, a six-pointed red star surrounded by five five-pointed white stars. Tiff, who was now sitting on the bed, laughed as he stepped out of the bathroom.

"What's so funny?"

"You look like such a geek!" Tiff's arms were wrapped around her belly as she continued to giggle.

"Uh huh. This coming from the girl who's dressed up as Rainbow Dash." Jessie eyed Tiff's clothing. She had not changed her clothes nor had gotten out of them since last night.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash is the coolest!"

"Yeah, maybe too cool. I'm afraid some creeper might just swoop you up if you're dressed like that."

"No one could be creepier than you," Tiff said, rolling her eyes as she got off the bed.

"Tiff, it was my _finger_. I'm not that disgusting." The two continued to exchange remarks as they walked out of their hotel room.

* * *

"Oh Twilight! Yoohoo!" Pinkie Pie stood below Twilight's window and continued to call for her. It was around 6:45 am, the sun had just started to rise, and Pinkie Pie was already bounding with energy, quite literally as she did her typical Pinkie bounce as she waited for Twilight to respond. The window beside Twilight's bed creaked open, and the head of a messy-maned Twilight stretched out.

"Mmm… Good morning Pinkie…" She grumbled.

"Gooooood moooorning Twilight!" Pinkie had practically bounded as high as the window in her early morning greeting.

"Pinkie, aren't you tired after what happened yesterday?" Twilight asked as she rubbed a leg across her eyes to get the sleep out.

"You mean after we nearly beat that mean-old meanie pants but then he got away then we had to bring Princess Celestia back to the castle because she was really hurt then we had to bring Spike back here whose back was really hurt after being thrown into the princesses?" Pinkie Pie counter-asked in a flurry. "How is Spike, by the way, is he doing well?"

Twilight wasn't sure how to respond. She had insisted that he sleep in his basket, rather than outside, after the fight, and had spent the night watching over him. Aside from the pain in his back, there were also tears in his wings, and two of his claws in his left hand were damaged. After arriving back at the Library she had the doctor come in to examine him. He treated the tears in his wings to the best of his ability, along with the aid of Fluttershy who had done the same with some of her winged animal friends.

"Well, he's going to recover. But I'm not sure how long it'll take."

"Why hello, girls, are you talking about our dear Spike?" The question had come from Rarity who was walking up to the Library with Fluttershy.

"Good morning Pinkie Pie, Twilight, and I hope I do get to say good morning to Spike as well, is he awake?" Fluttershy asked as she flew up towards the window Twilight was sticking her head out of. Twilight turned her head back inside and glanced at Spike who was curled up within his basket. Like before, he emitted a faint growl. His eyes were shut and his eyelids lightly flickered. Twilight turned her head back outside.

"He's asleep for the moment, and I think it's best if we don't wake him."

"Aw man! I came down here to see if Spike was willing to help us with this huuuuuuge shipment of pie we have to make down at Sugar Cube Corner! We even made him this really awesome cake covered in all these gemstones and jewels that is sure to make his mouth water!" No sooner had Pinkie Pie said this did Spike's eyes snap open. He crawled out of his basket and proceeded on all fours towards the window.

"Good morning Spike."

"Good morning Twilight," Spike responded. He extended his head out the window and was greeted by Fluttershy who was hovering nearby.

"Oh, Spike! Good morning. I'm glad to see you're alright." Fluttershy flew closer and looked over Spike's shoulders. "Your wings, are they feeling okay?"

"They are now, thanks to you," Spike said with a smile at the gentle and soft-spoken Fluttershy. "Hey Rarity! Pinkie Pie!"

"Why, Spike, darling, we're glad to see you're quite well. I trust that you're not over exerting yourself?"

"I'm doing okay Rarity." A small blush appeared on his face at Rarity's concern. He then turned towards Pinkie Pie. "So what's this I heard about a cake?"

Pinkie Pie was quite eager to answer. "ohohoh! This cake is like REALLY big and its covered with sapphires and opals and rubies and all the other pretty gemstones and it sorta tastes like the Mmmm Cake we made for the desert contest that one time and it's all for you and while you're gobbling it all up down at Sugar Cube Corner we figured it would be really great if we can use your flame to help with this humongous enormous doozy of a pie shipment we have to make and deliver later on today!"

"Sure, I'm glad to help, but you didn't have to bribe me with cake, not that I'm going to pass it up."

After Spike had exited the library, Pinkie Pie hopped merrily alongside him as they walked towards Sugar Cube Corner. Fluttershy and Rarity went into the library to continue talking to Twilight. The three mares were gathered around a table on the second floor of the library with small cups of tea placed in front of them. Using her magic, Rarity lifted her cup to her mouth and took a sip before speaking.

"My, it's nice to see how well Spike is doing after what had transpired yesterday. I'm surprised he was able to move after being thrown in such a way by that uncouth… What was he called again?"

"A human, Rarity," answered Twilight.

"Speaking of yesterday, Princess Celestia appeared to be quite injured. Have you received news about her condition?" Fluttershy asked. A small sigh of dismay escaped from Twilight as she shook her head forlornly.

"No news yet. I really hope she's okay, to think the human wizard would have the power to do this to her."

"Not to mention having the power to survive a spell with power from the Elements of Harmony," Chimed in Rarity. Fluttershy nodded in agreement.

"I may not know as much about magic as you girls, but to be able to resist the Elements of Harmony. It's quite frightening to think that we may have to face him again." Once Fluttershy had mentioned this, Rarity, quite uncharacteristically, spat out her tea in aghast.

"Oh my, I have nearly forgotten. Didn't he mention that he'd be coming back within a year, ten times more powerful than he was before? However in the world are we going to deal with him then?" Rarity couldn't hide the panic in her voice and Fluttershy had begun to shiver at the thought. Twilight was also equally dismayed.

_I can only imagine the amount of damage he can do to Equestria if he was ten times more powerful. Will the Elements of Harmony even be enough to overcome him? Maybe if I enlist the help of Shining Armor and Princess Cadence... _Twilight's thoughts wandered towards the future's prospects.

At Sugar Cube corner, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Spike were having a similar conversation. Pinkie Pie had elicited Applejack's help with the baking, who had quite literally, roped in Rainbow Dash to lend a hand as well. The three mares were covered in baking flour as they rushed to finish the pies. As soon as they completed the crust, they slid the pie over to Spike who blew a small fire over the pie, baking it faster than the ovens can. Within the hour they had finished the large shipment and Spike had voraciously begun eating the gem-encrusted cake.

"Hey, where's _our _reward for helping you out?" Rainbow Dash asked, wiping her flour covered face with a rag.

"Oh you silly little filly. The cake's not for helping us bake. It's for the way Spike had fought that mean-old beardo. I told Mr. and Ms. Cake what happened and-"

"Woah there nelly," interrupted Applejack, "You're sayin' you told somepony about what happened yesterday?"

"Well, yeah, was it supposed to be a secret?"

"I just don't think it's best if everypony knew what was going on. It could lead to some serious disorder 'round here."

"I dunno," Rainbow Dash spoke up. She paused for a brief moment to sample some of Spike's cake, and spat out a ruby before continuing. "I'm with Pinkie on this one. This kinda concerns everypony here. I think we all have a right to know whether or not some evil may end up ruining our lives."

"I'm not so sure about that, Dashie. What do you think Spike?" Applejack asked the ravenous dragon. Spike looked up from his cake, his face comically covered in icing. He used his long tongue to clean himself quickly before responding.

"Well, Twilight says that several civilizations have fallen long before any disaster actually occurs because of the anarchy that ensues after said disaster has become public knowledge. But she also says that the population shouldn't be completely censored from such information. Basically, it's best if such news were spread slowly, informing individual ponies who are more likely able to help first, and to have governments, whether local or national, make sure to keep the peace." The three mares jaws dropped after hearing Spike say his piece.

"Um… What?"

"Haha, Spike you sounded a lot like an egghead!" Rainbow Dash laughed and pointed a hoof at Spike. With a wry smile, Spike shot a small flame at the laughing Pegasus, singing her mane and coat lightly. "I take that back…" She said weakly before collapsing to the ground.

"Well heavens-to-Betsey Spike, you're sounding mighty wizened. Don't suppose you have other thoughts you can enlighten us with?" Spike shook his head and once again turned his attention to the cake. After a few bites, he stopped, and he let off a small belch. The flames that exited his mouth formed into a rolled letter, held by the royal seal, and settled onto the ground.

"Hey a letter!" As Pinkie Pie reached for it spike quickly pinched it between two of his claws.

"Sorry Pinkie, but it's probably for Twilight. Rainbow Dash, could you go and deliver this Twilight?" Spike handed the parchment to Rainbow Dash, who was still lying on the floor. She took the letter into her mouth, did her usual "no problem" salute, before flying out of an open window and away from Sugar Cube Corner.

* * *

Jessie and Tiff walked around the convention floor, eying the various booths, displays, and, to Jessie's delight, the pretty female cosplayers. In Jessie's left hand he held a tote-bag with various goodies he and Tiff had received, and in his right he held Tiff's hand. Tiff, much to Jessie's surprise, was also enjoying the convention, despite the Friendship is Magic exhibit not being setup until tomorrow.

_I'll make a nerd out of her yet. _He thought to himself. They were stopped when a man with a camera asked if he could have his picture taken with Tiff. _This is the hundredth time today. _Jessie gave his consent and took the camera from the man. The man went down to one knee and Tiff stood next to him, they both did a peace sign and after the flash of the camera, Jessie had given the camera back, and the man left.

"Well, that gets annoying pretty quick..."

"Really? I don't mind at all," Tiff said. She had started to walk ahead of him, and Jessie followed closely behind. "Actually, I think maybe I could I cosplay for these exhibitions when I'm older!"

"Ahaha, no. Wouldn't want mom's tears falling from the sky and hitting me on the head after she finds out I let you become a booth babe." Jessie went to Tiff's side and took up her hand once again. As they continued to walk, a small crowd of men, many of which Jessie had identified as bronies had started to gather around a raised platform, their camera's flashing wildly. On the pedestal was a gorgeous woman, who, like Tiffany, was cosplaying as Rainbow Dash, but unlike many Rainbow Dash cosplayers, she had gone all the way and painted her skin light blue, the same color as her clothes. Her jeans were skin tight and had bell bottoms that completely masked her feet gave the faint appearance of hooves. Her tank top had wings in the back and she wore a headband on her rainbow colored hair that looked like Rainbow Dash's ears.

Jessie's mouth went slightly agape at the sight. "Now that's… Oof!" Tiff had elbowed him in the groin before he could finish. She begun to walk through the crowd as Jessie called out to her.

"Tiff," he said weakly as held his hands over his privates. Tiff raised herself onto the platform and started to pose along with the professional cosplayer. This drew a large cheer from the crowd and even more people gathered around. The two Rainbow Dash fans started to pose in sync, the older one now avoiding some of the raunchier poses.

"You look a little young to be the father of a six year old." Jessie turned to see a redheaded woman was talking to him and standing next to him with her arms crossed, watching and smiling at the spectacle. She wore a grey T-shirt that read "I love Derpy" and depicted the cross-eyed pony's face. Around her neck was a Comic-con lanyard with a pass on the end that had her name, Mindy Reyes. "I take it she's your sister?"

"She's seven, and yeah, she's my sister, what gave it away?"

"Just saw the way she nailed you in the crotch there." Mindy sighed. "And here I was, hoping you were tough…"

Jessie was rather indignant. "Tough? I'm tough. You try getting hit in the family jewels, it's not pleasant. Never heard of Jessie Santiago?"

Mindy looked at him with an amused expression. "Are you someone I should know?"

"I'm a professional boxer! Well, I may not be world famous yet but, y'know, I'm pretty good."

Mindy looked even more amused as she raised an eyebrow at him. "Ah hah. My boyfriend loves to watch boxing. I don't think he ever mentioned you. All I ever hear about is how Jake Nicholson is poised to take away one of the light-heavy weight belts."

A laugh escaped Jessie. "Well isn't this perfect. I'll prove to you how tough I am. Do you have a smart phone? Go Google Jake Nicholson vs Jessie Santiago."

Mindy continued to look at him amusedly as she took out her phone from her pocket. Her thumb glided over the touchscreen and after a moment she looked down at her phone to see the results. Hey eyes widened and her jaw dropped slightly. She looked back up at Jessie.

"Uh huh. That's right. That's me. I'm awesome."

"I can use you!" She suddenly said as she took hold of Jessie's arms and shook him.

"Um, what? I don't even…"

Mindy had begun pulling him away but Jessie kept rooted to the spot. "Um, hey, uh," Jessie peeked at Mindy's pass, "Mindy. Where are you taking me?"

"There's something I need to show you."

"Don't you have a boyfriend?" Jessie's question was answered by a swift punch to his side.

"_That's _not what I'm going to show you. Just come." She continued to pull at the immovable Jessie.

"My sister…"

"My bad." Mindy let go of Jessie and walked to the edge of the crowd.

"Steph!" She called out over the crowd. The girl on the platform looked in her direction and waved. "Steph! That's this guy's sister," She pointed at Jessie. "Watch her for him, will you?"

The cosplayer gave Mindy a thumbs up. Mindy walked back to Jessie and grabbed him by the forearm, pulling him out of the convention center.

On the way to Mindy's hotel, Mindy explained the history of human existence on Equestria. She explained the discovery of Equestria by Bonnie, the vision that Bonnie had, and the passing of the crystal from Bonnie, to Lauren, then to her. She explained human's immunity to each other's magic and the threat Baade poses to Equestria.

"So if all this is true, that makes the third season?"

"Well... Just because it's free from Lauren's influence doesn't necessarily mean its free from mine. So to speak."

"Right… Well, that's an interesting bit of fanfiction you have going on there, but I really should be heading back." Jessie turned away but was grabbed by the collar of his shirt.

"My hotel's just right there, come on."

Mindy led him by the collar through the hotel lobby and into the elevator; still latched on to his collar, which drew many stares from those they passed by. Once the elevator doors opened, she led him to her room. Upon entering her room, Mindy let go of Jessie and went to a lockbox provided by the hotel.

"Come here." Mindy gestured for Jessie to come closer. Apprehensively, he step closer and looked into the lockbox. In it was blue crystal ball. The inside seemed to swirl with energy and Jessie can sense a faint hum vibrating from the crystal. It sparkled brilliantly in the light as small sparkles continued to twinkle all over its surface. Jessie leaned closer, squinted and peered into the ball.

"I see… shelves, books, some scrolls… Is this a library?"

"It is, now touch it," Mindy demanded.

"What?"

Mindy groaned and without warning shoved Jessie's face at the crystal ball, pressing his cheek against it. The moment his skin made contact with the ball he was engulfed in shining light. Completely blinding light, or complete and utter darkness, Jessie couldn't tell what he was seeing for the split second he traveled along a wave of magic. After his eyes adjusted he found himself sitting in the library he was just looking into from the crystal ball. To his side stood Mindy, who was looking down at him with a smile.

"This library looks familiar." Jessie looked around in an attempt to find out his whereabouts. His eyes stopped after seeing the giant hourglass centerpiece. "Wait a minute, I've seen that before."

"Episode twenty season two to be exact," stated Mindy. She helped Jessie to his feet and he continued to look around.

"There can be no way…" Jessie ran to a windowsill. Down below him he could see the city he knows as Canterlot, and many of its citizens, Ponies, walking the streets below. "There can be no way…"

The sound of hooves caught their attention and they looked towards the gated entrance. A Pegasus Unicorn with a navy blue coat and a night shade mane that seemed to sparkle with stars stood at the entrance. She wore crystal shoes on her hooves, a necklace depicting the crescent moon, matching her cutie mark, and atop her head behind her horn was a jet-black tiara. Jessie was perhaps, an inch taller than her, not including the height from her horn.

Jessie raised a trembling finger at her. "Th-that's…"

"Princess Luna," Mindy said definitively. She walked over to Jessie and started to pull him by his sleeve towards the princess pony. He offered little resistance as he continued to stare and point. Once they stood in front of her, Mindy bowed, and tried to push Jessie's towards the ground to do the same. This resulted in him falling before the princess's hooves as he still continued to look up at her, eyes wide and mouth still agape.

"I see you've returned Lady Reyes." Princess Luna nodded her head at Mindy then looked down at the man lying on his stomach and looking dumbly up towards her. "And this is?"

"He's the help." Mindy grabbed a shoulder and an arm and pulled him up. She took a look at his face and consciously placed her hand under his jaw and moved it upwards, closing his mouth. "He's a little surprised." Jessie nodded dumbly in agreement. Luna began to look in the area behind the two.

"Princess, what're you looking for?" Mindy asked. Luna stopped looking and raised an eyebrow at Mindy.

"So you only brought one?" Luna asked.

"That's right."

"I know my sister asked for a small force but, one human?" Luna began to circle Jessie and examined his body. Mindy motioned for Jessie to stand still. "Well, he's quite fit. I'm noticing some scarring around his knuckles, a pugilist?"

Mindy nodded. "A professional boxer."

"A gladiator then. Not a solider." Luna finished her inspection and looked Jessie in the eye. "Your name, human?"

After being addressed, Jessie, his mind mentally slapped him in the face, allowing him to react and respond. After fixing his composure, he spoke. "Ahem, um, I'm Jessie, Jessie Santiago."

Luna turned her attention back to Mindy. "What can you say of his combat skills?"

Mindy, not sure how to answer, looked to Jessie. "Well, compared to other boxers in my division, I'm not the fastest, toughest, or strongest."

"You're not really doing yourself any favors," Mindy mumbled to Jessie. "_But_," he continued, "I can say that I'm the smartest."

A smile appeared on Luna's face after he spoke. "An intelligent fighter? An interesting combination. My sister values that trait quite highly."

"Yeah, well, I'm Asian that way." Jessie's statement drew a small giggle for Mindy.

"I'm sorry?" Luna asked.

"Never mind, it's a human joke. Anywaaaays," Jessie then began to change the topic, "sooo… This world, it's real?" He looked to Mindy. "That's right," she said.

"Okay, still having a hard time believing that but whatever. And on the way to the hotel you said there was this evil wizard guy whose magic I'm supposed to be immune to?"

"That's right," Mindy said once again.

"But nothing is really stopping him from being able to lift up a giant boulder and crushing me with it, is there?"

"It would be foolish to think you would be going alone," Luna spoke up. "My sister, if she recovers in time, and I, as well as the ponies connected to the elements of harmony will be there. If there is any lifting of giant boulders, we will stop it."

"Princess Celestia needs to recover? What happened?" asked Mindy.

Luna looked down with a sullen expression and walked over to a nearby window within the Star Swirl wing, looking out into the landscape, towards the direction the battle had taken place.

"We tried to do what we can against Baade, perhaps stop him even before needing any human help. We needed to gauge his power as well. My sister sustained some injuries in the fight but she survived. We had also managed to 'defeat' Baade in a sense. Right now he too, is in recovery, somewhere where we cannot find him. If we do not find him within a year, he'll become much more powerful."

"Have no fear, Luna." The three turned to find Princess Celestia now standing at the doorway. Her coat was slightly ruffled, and black burn marks still covered her body. Her stance was shaky, but dignified, and her mane, though messy, still continued to perpetually wave and flow. She stood about a head taller than Jessie. Mindy bowed, and Jessie, a second later after seeing Mindy, rushed to mimic the action.

"Sister, you mustn't be out of your bed, your injuries were quite severe." Luna trotted over to Celestia. "Please, you must rest."

"Your concern is most welcome, Luna," Celestia said with a smile, "however I would also like to meet our honored guest." Princess Celestia walked up to him and looked at him face to face. "Hello, there, I heard your name was Jessie, correct?" Jessie nodded in response.

"Well, on behalf of Equestria, I welcome you to our world."

"Speaking of your world," Jessie turned to Mindy again, "this world is real right?"

"For the _last _time, yes it is." Mindy said sternly.

"Okay okay, calm down, give me a moment to accept that," Jessie closed his eyes and raised his hands outwards from himself, signaling everyone to step back. "Okay, accepting, accepting, accepting, accepting…" Jessie then opened his eyes and clapped his hands together, "Okay, accepted! This world is real."

Mindy looked at him with uncertainty. "You still don't think-"

"It's really hard," Jessie said with a frown. "But like I said, I accepted it's real, so it's real. Next order of business," he turned to the princesses, "I'm supposed to help you two save Equestria from some evil guy? Sounds dangerous, I hope you two are ready to accept a few conditions from me?"

The two sisters looked at each other for a brief moment. "Sister, you don't really think he'll be able to help?" Luna asked Celestia. Celestia then looked Jessie in the eyes quite austerely. The stare reminded Jessie of the stare-down he would quite often have with another fighter before and during a round. Despite her height, ability to cast magic, and position as a princess, Jessie couldn't help but glare back, his hands instinctively clenching into tights fists. A small smile tugged at Celestia's lips at his reaction.

"He'll do. Now please, state your conditions." Celestia's expression softened, and Jessie relaxed.

"Well, first off, I should know, aside from helping you deal with this guy, what else do you expect from me?"

"We would like you to stay here in Equestria until this wizard is dealt with. Aside from that there are no other expectations." Princess Celestia said.

"Figured as much. Okay, well here are my conditions. First, I still would like to go back to my world from time to time; I have responsibilities there as well. Is that cool with you two?" The princesses nodded. "Great. Next, I would like to stay in Ponyville, is that okay?"

"You may have trouble fitting in there but I can make those arrangements," Princess Celestia said.

"Awesome. I have one more condition. I'll have you two know that this is the most important one and will probably decide whether or not I choose to stay here."

"Tell us then," Luna said.

"Well, um, I would like it, if, you know… I get to, um, bring my little sister too?" He asked abashedly.

"You want to bring you sister as well?" Celestia questioned.

"Well, yeah. She would love it here. I can't wait to see the look on her face when she discovers this place is _real_." Jessie was practically beaming at the thought. A soft smile appeared on Celestia's face at the sight.

"So be it, you can bring your sister along too."

"Okay, great! Now, I'm going to go back to my world now, I'm sure me and Mindy have a couple of things to discuss as well since I do plan on coming and going from time to time. I'll catch you two later? Okay, bye." As Jessie turned walked towards the crystal, Princess Celestia called out to him.

"Wait."

"Hm?" Jessie looked over her shoulder.

"On your shirt, over your heart." Jessie turned so that Princess Celestia can see the design. "That is Twilight Sparkle's cutie mark."

"Oh, what, this? Yeah…" Jessie blushed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Its… nothing, gotta go!" Jessie took off for the crystal with Mindy following behind.

* * *

"Oh thank goodness she's going to be okay," Said Fluttershy. The six ponies were gathered around Twilight's table on the second floor in the library, the letter spread open in the center.

"Ooh ooh ooh, maybe we should throw a get well soon party!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"Calm down there sugar, I think it's best to let the princess recuperate." Applejack advised.

"Well I for one find it appalling that we're going to require the help of _humans _to deal with this problem," bemoaned Rarity.

"Yeah! Isn't this the humans fault in the first place? How do we know whatever humans come here won't just go ahead and help this guy, huh? I say we go looking for this wizard and find him before he recovers, that way we would need no stinkin' human help." Rainbow Dash declared. The other ponies nodded in consensus, except Twilight.

"Girls, we shouldn't be judging the entire human race based on the actions of an individual. I understand you're all upset about what happened but the truth of the matter is we _need _the help. Remember that Princess Celestia asked for a small force, so if they do get out of hand we should be able to deal with them easily. Secondly, we have absolutely no idea where to find Baade. In all likelihood he'll reveal himself when he's more powerful, and we'll just have to be prepared." Twilight's wise words calmed Rainbow Dash down. Further discussion was halted when the familiar sound of Spike's belching came from the first floor.

Twilight walked over to the edge of the second floor and looked down to see Spike clutching a letter between two of his claws. Using her magic to retrieve it, she broke the seal and unrolled on the table, on top of the letter that was already there. It read:

_Dear Twilight Sparkle,_

_ I am not familiar with the norms involved in writing a letter, so I apologize in advance for any inadequacies this letter may contain. I am writing to inform you that the human help has arrived. His competence has yet to be tested, but he is the best that can be provided in a bad situation. Celestia seems to trust him for she has allowed him to "impose" three conditions, so to speak, considering his demands are rather low. _

_Firstly, he asked to be able to travel freely between our world and the human world in order to maintain his responsibilities. An obvious imposition if there ever was one. _

_Secondly, he asked to take up residence in Ponyville. Celestia granted him this wish quite readily, though I would suggest you speak with your mayor so that the town may be ready to receive an alien being as a resident._

_Thirdly, and lastly, he asked to bring his little sister along as well. An odd condition but an easy one to grant._

_ I must also remind you that these humans are fans of the story our world has inspired in the human world. Do not be surprised to find them knowing your names, mannerisms, and behavior, as well as knowing some of the events that taken place within the last few years. _

_ They are currently making preparations in the human world, and within three days' time they will be living in Ponyville. After they have arrived, we will send them to Ponyville, along with the transportation crystal. Although the purpose of him staying in Equestria is so that he may be on hand whenever we need him, I would suggest giving him other responsibilities to keep him busy. His sister could perhaps attend school. _

_ Celestia asks that they be treated with respect. She also asks that their true purpose, or rather, his true purpose, remain a secret. A simple lie we had come up with beforehand is that he is an ambassador from a land far from Equestria. _

_ Keep a close eye on our guest Twilight Sparkle,_

_Your Princess, Luna._

_Ps. The crystal will be kept in the library._

_Pps. So will the humans._

Twilight had read the letter aloud and moments after she had finished Rainbow Dash was already complaining.

"_One_ human? That's all the help we get?"

"I believe the letter mentioned two humans…" Fluttershy said softly.

"Yeah, his _little sister_. I doubt she's here to help. The letter also says that his fighting skills are untested. How do we know he's not dead weight? Ugh, this is _so _infuriating." Rainbow Dash placed her face in her hooves and groaned.

Twilight turned to rainbow Dash. "Rainbow Dash, Princess Celestia thinks he'll help, and I trust her."

"I'm with Rainbow over here," Applejack spoke up, "he may be very capable, but he's still only one pony. This is like the time I tried to harvest the entire apple orchard all by myself."

"Yes but after you gave in, you had us to help you, and this human will have us too, and the princesses, and maybe if we're lucky, my older brother and princess Cadence too. We are certainly not going to send him against that wizard all by himself, especially when the fate of Equestria depends on the outcome of that confrontation."

"But still only one human," chimed in Rarity. "Say we do get into another confrontation with Baade again, what will this human bring to the table that we otherwise are not capable of doing ourselves?"

"Well we're going to have to find out," Twilight said. "Like I said before, the Princess believes he's enough, and I trust the princess's judgment." After Twilight's statement Pinky Pie began to hop away from the table and down to the entrance of the library.

"Where are you going Pinkie Pie? We still have a few more things to discuss!" Twilight called out.

"But I have to get ready!" Pinkie Pie responded.

"For what?"

"The party!" Pinkie Pie jumped into the air, her front legs raised high. The ponies looked down at her skeptically. "Why're you all looking at me like that? I _always_ throw a party for new Ponyville residents, why stop now?" Pinkie Pie then hopped out the entrance, eager to start preparations.

"Pinkie Pie has the right idea girls," Twilight said with a smile, turning back to the rest of the ponies. "There's not much we can do now, except have them feel welcome. One of them is here to help, and we, like we learned before, shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. He's come here to help us, practically free-of-charge, and that makes him, and his sister, one of our friends already." Twilight walked away and headed to the steps that led to the first floor. "I'm going to inform the Mayor about what's going to be happening."

* * *

"So whenever an emergency comes up, or I have to be informed about a match, or anything-"

"Chaz will call me," Mindy said, finishing Jessie's sentence. The days Jessie spent preparing for his stay in Ponyville has been a flurry of Comic-Con, convincing Tiff Equestria is real, and a massive amount of calls and e-mails to and from his go-to do-it-all guy, Chaz. Mindy and Jessie were sitting at a small table tucked away in the corner in Jessie's hotel room, cups of coffee placed in front of them. In the center of the table was the lockbox. In the bathroom, Tiff was washing the dye out of her hair with a Tide Detergent and shampoo mixture, much to her dismay. Jessie had told her it would have been best not to go into Equestria looking like Rainbow Dash, and had asked Mindy how to remove hair dye.

"Now whenever I do end up coming back from Equestria, I'll end up in?"

"New York City. I live in an apartment next to my boyfriend. I'll be keeping the crystal in a locked empty room by the fire escape, that way you can at least be discreet and come and go without having my boyfriend find out about you."

"New York? Quite a bit away from our island in the Pacific, but hey, greatest city on earth right?" Jessie curled his index and middle finger around the handle of his cup, and lifted it to his lips, taking a small sip of coffee. The door to the bathroom creaked open and out came a little girl, rubbing a towel over her long blonde hair that reached the small of her back.

"Blonde? Well that's a surprise." Mindy had taken the towel from Tiff and began to dry her hair for her. Mindy looked to Jessie for an answer.

"Father's side," Jessie replied. "He's white. Met my mom in a bar where she worked in on the island of Guam when he was on vacation."

"Santiago isn't an American name. Your mom's then?"

"Yeah. Let's not talk about it though…" Mindy took the hint and continued to dry Tiff's hair. When she finished, she picked up a hair brush and began to untangle Tiff's hair.

"You should look your best for the Princess, Tiff." Mindy then reached into a nearby tote bag containing many of the goodies they received from the convention, pulled out a cat-eared headband, and adorned the top of Tiff's head with it. Mindy noticed Jessie's disdainful expression after putting the headband on Tiff. "What's wrong with it?"

Rather than answering Mindy, Jessie looked to Tiff and said, "You're still not becoming a booth babe," which made Tiff frown and cross her arms.

"So when do we get to go to Equestria?" Tiff asked. Her expression was rather sour. "Y'know I still don't believe you guys."

Jessie too was quite eager to leave, but there were some things he had to clear up first. "Maybe in a moment Tiff, just a few more things," he turned his attention to Mindy, "Now Chaz tends to worry a lot, so expect to get a lot of calls from him asking about me. He'll probably tell you to tell me a lot of things, but I tend to ignore most of what he says anyways, so you go on and pick and choose what's important. What is important for sure are dates, specifically matches, make sure those get to me pronto."

"I can score free tickets for me and my boyfriend right?"

"I'm sure Chaz can work something out. Now," Jessie turned back to Tiff, "that should be it, we should be ready to go."

Mindy opened the lockbox and revealed the sapphire crystal ball. Jessie took up Tiff's hand and placed his palm around the ball. Within a moment the siblings stood hand in hand within the Star Swirl section of the library. Tiff looked around with her eyes wide in amazement. She let go of his hand and ran to the center of the wing to examine the giant hourglass. "Hey! I've seen this before!"

"Episode twenty season two," Jessie said, mimicking Mindy's answer three days earlier. Like Jessie, she ran to the window and looked at the scenery below.

"That's Canterlot!"

"My, aren't we all excited." The two had no trouble identifying the regal voice of Princess Celestia who stood at the entrance of the wing. Tiff slowly approached Celestia and stopped right in front of her. Princess Celestia bent her legs and went into a resting position so that she was face to face with the little girl. "What is your name child?"

Tiff didn't answer. Rather, she couldn't answer. Her eyes began to twinkle with tears and her chest began to convulse slightly as she attempted to hold back the sobs. Concern was evident on Celestia's face.

"Child, why are you crying? I-" Before Celestia could continue, without notice, Tiff had embraced her, buried her face in the Princess's neck, and began to cry freely.

"You-you-… you're real… my brother… I didn't believe him…" Tiff spoke between sobs and sniffles. Celestia rested her head on Tiff's shoulder and hummed a gentle song. Jessie walked up to the two and looked down at them. Tiff with her red and puffy eyes looked up at her older brother. "She's real."

"That's right Tiff."

"So your name is Tiff." Princess Celestia stated. Tiff nodded at the princess.

"And you're Princess Celestia."

"I hope nopony forgot about me." Princess Luna had come walking down the hall.

"Princess Luna!" Tiff let go of Celestia and ran to Luna, hugging one of her legs.

"Oh my, quite affectionate aren't you?"

After a minute, Tiff was standing next to Jessie and the princesses stood in front of them.

"Your carriage is ready for its departure to Ponyville. We've arranged for you two to stay in the library with Twilight Sparkle. Also," Celestia used her magic to lift up the pink crystal from its silver foundation and placed it within a chest, which she then brought into Jessie's arms, "you will be bringing the crystal with you, that way whenever you need to go back, you don't need to keep making a journey here. I'm sure it goes without saying that nopony should come in contact with this crystal."

"Of course Princess," responded Jessie.

"Now is there anything else that we can do for you before you leave?"

"No, that'll be-"

"Make me a pony!" Tiff said suddenly.

"Tiff, what're you saying?" Jessie placed the chest on the ground, and took to a knee to address his sister. "Why do you want to be a pony?"

"It'll be easier to fit in, wouldn't it? You should become one too!"

"I… I need to stay in human form."

"But why?" Tiff looked at him questioningly. Jessie turned to the Princesses for help.

"Your brother is… helping us, uh, do things…" Luna fumbled with her words. "Things that only humans can do. There are quite a lot of them…"

"Oh yes, quite a lot," Celestia added, "too many to name."

"Oh, okay then. But can you make me a pony?" Tiff looked up at them hopefully. The sisters exchanged brief whispers before turning their attention back to the little girl.

"I'm sure Luna and I could try something. But we would require your brother's permission first."

Tiff then turned to Jessie, giving him a pitiful look. Jessie did his very best to resist the look, the puppy-dog eyes, the pouting lower lip and her hands clasped together and raised to her chest in a begging manner. Jessie looked away for a second and uttered something under his breath before turning back to look up at the princesses.

"Okay." Jessie stepped back and away from Tiff. The sisters whispered a few more things to each other then began casting their magic. As their horns glowed, Tiff was engulfed within a yellow aura. Her body had begun to shrink, and her clothes had begun to become too big for her. Smaller and smaller she became until all that was left was a small lump under a pile of clothes.

"Tiff?" Jessie approached the pile and lifted up a shirt. A light green color coated filly the size of one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders with a blonde mane and tail bounded out of the pile. She still wore the cat-eared headband, and right in front of the headband was a small horn.

"Look bro! I'm a unicorn!" Tiff started to trot happily around him. Jessie let out a sigh of relief at the spell's success.

"So how long will it last?" Jessie asked.

"The spell should be permanent for as long as she stays in Equestria. Whenever she leaves she'll revert back to her human form, but when she comes back the spell will reapply itself." Luna answered.

"Nifty."

"Luna, would you kindly show Tiff where the carriage is? I still have a few words to exchange with our champion." Luna adhered to Celestia's request, and directed Tiff down the hall. Once the two were alone, Celestia asked, "So you haven't told your sister the circumstances of your stay?"

"No," Jessie bent down and picked up the chest, "and I rather it stay that way."

"I see. Well then, good luck to you. And I do hope you enjoy your stay here in Equestria."

"Thank you Princess." Jessie bowed before leaving, and followed after Tiff and Luna.

Tiff and Jessie were now in the carriage, being pulled by two Pegasi. Tiff looked over the side with awe, looking down at the lush green fields, thick forests, sparkling lakes, and jagged mountain ridges. Jessie kept his eyes on the horizon.

_ Where is this evil I'm supposed to fight_? He thought to himself. He looked over to the other side at Tiff who was peering over the edge of the carriage. The corner of his lips pulled upwards at the sight of his sister, now a pony, showing complete and utter happiness at, quite simply, the world. The cart started to descend slightly and Jessie took notice. He peered over his shoulder and found that they were looming closer to town.

"Hey Tiff, come over here." Tiff looked back at her brother, then clambered over to his side. On his lap, she looked over the side, seeing the village.

"Hey! Is that-"

"That's right." Jessie looked back at the town. "It's Ponyville."


	3. Welcome to Ponyville

**Note from the author: I normally like to update a new chapter within 7-9 days of the last but I have some papers to write for college, so it may be 12-14 days before a new chapter gets uploaded. I'm sorry everybody :(**

* * *

"It's Ponyville."

The news had elicited a delighted shriek from Tiff who had nearly toppled over the side of the carriage when she had jumped up in joy. Jessie quickly wrapped his arms around his now equine sister and held her firmly in in his lap. She was almost like a plush doll, but much more lively and liable to injure his genitals. The descent to the ground had steepened and the sight of Ponyville grew closer. As they neared the ground, the carriage straightened out, and landed smoothly onto the ground. Jessie held Tiff with a single arm wrapped under her fore-legs, and the chest containing the orb with the other and hopped out of the carriage.

"Thank you," Jessie said, placing the chest down and waving to the Pegasi pulling the carriage. The two Pegasi nodded their welcome and took off into the air. Jessie turned to look at the path before him. He stood on the dirt road Princess Celestia's carriage arrived at depicted in _Swarm of the Century_. He placed Tiff down and she took off down the road to Ponyville. Tiff had taken no time at all adjusting to running on four legs as she took off a breakneck pace.

"Aw jeez, Tiff…" Jessie picked up the chest with one arm and ran after Tiff. Despite her advantage of four legs, he was still much taller, and his longer strides allowed him to reach her side, and scoop her up. He tucked her under his free arm and slowed to a walk. "Don't go running off like that again, you hear me?"

Tiff looked up to her brother, giving him the same pitiful look she gave him back at the Canterlot library when she asked to be turned into a pony. "But I wanna be at Ponyville _now._" The expression made Jessie grumble and he stoically looked forward to avoid the gaze. "Bro, isn't that chest heavy?"

Jessie grunted his reply. "Yep. Not letting you go though."

"I promise I won't take off. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Tiff promised, going through the motions of the Pinkie Pie Promise.

"You know you can't break that promise, right?"

"Of course!"

Jessie curled his lips as he looked down as his filly-formed sister. "Fine." He bent down, let Tiff go, and carried the chest with two hands. As they continued their walk, they began to see two pony-shaped figures waiting for them, a tan earth pony with a grey mane and tail, sporting a pair of glasses, and a white collar adorned with a turquoise ruffle, and a light purple unicorn with an indigo mane and tail both with a pink and purple stripe running down their length. The ponies caught sight of them and helped closed the distance between each other. Once the ponies were right in front of them, Jessie put down the chest, and looked down at the ponies whose height reached a foot above his waist.

"Why hello there, you're quite a tall one. I am-"

"Mayor Mare. And," Jessie then turned to the purple pony, "you're Twilight Sparkle."

"Aren't you well prepared? Well we are more than happy to accommodate you and your…" Mayor Mare looked at the filly standing by him, "…sister with us. To have the ambassador of the human land take up residence in Ponyville is a tremendous honor. We look forward to creating favorable impressions for you and your, what's the word?"

"The word is people. But ambassador? I haven't-"

"Mayor Mare!" Twilight suddenly spoke up, cutting Jessie off. "I'll take it from here. No need for you to be distracted from your other important duties." Twilight began directing the mayor back to the town.

"Oh but Twilight, I do insist that I-"

"Ohnononono, it's quite alright," Twilight began to push the mayor towards the town. "I'll be showing them to their living quarters now so you go on ahead and yeah, I got everything handled."

"Oh, alright." Mayor cantered back into the town and Twilight directed her attention to the two visitors.

"So sorry about the 'ambassador' thing. Can't have the mayor and everypony else knowing about your true purpose here helping us handle-"

"All the fixing and doing things only humans can do!" Jessie interjected this time. He consciously looked to Tiff. "Um Tiff, we're close enough to Ponyville, why don't you run in and see if you can find Rainbow Dash?"

"Yay!" Tiff started to bolt towards the town but was grabbed by the tail by Jessie.

"And don't let everypony know that you know them. Catch what I mean?"

"Got it!" Jessie let go of Tiff, who took off like lightning.

"Yeah… It's not just all the ponies here that we're keeping in the dark." Jessie said, looking to Twilight.

"So your sister doesn't know anything about Baade?" Twilight asked. Jessie shook his head and picked up the chest once more. Twilight and Jessie began heading into the town towards the direction of the library. As they walked through the town, ponies would turn and whisper to each other. Many of the younger colts and fillies would point openly at him. His cheeks reddened at the attention.

"Um, Twilight?"

"Yes? Your name was Jessie by the way, right?" Twilight asked turning to Jessie as they continued walked.

Jessie nodded. "Um, yeah, uh, you did tell them I would be coming?"

"We did. By the way, we were expecting two humans but seeing your sister, is that the princesses magic I'm sensing from her?"

"Uh huh. I just hope she doesn't start abusing me with that magical horn she has now."

"Is she the type who would do that?"

"With every chance she gets," Jessie said with a smirk. "Of course I like to pull small pranks on her on occasion too."

Twilight laughed. "You two sound like horrible siblings."

"Hah, maybe. But we dealt for four years."

Twilight Sparkle stopped to look at him with a raised eyebrow. "Four years? Isn't she older than that?"

Jessie turned away before answering. "That's… a story for another time." He turned back to Twilight. "It's not a happy story, I can tell you that much." Jessie's eyes pleaded for Twilight not to probe any further. Twilight conceded and began walking once more.

"Okay then, but if you ever want to talk about it just let me know, okay?" She gave Jessie a smile which only served to redden his cheeks even more.

_I can't believe I'm walking next to Twilight_, Jessie thought. Jessie's eyes shifted towards the book-loving unicorn that was now looking ahead. _I wonder how soft her coat is. I wonder how her mane smells. I wonder… I wonder why the hell I'm thinking these weird-ass thoughts. This is almost as weird as that time I tried clopping. _Jessie shuddered at the memory. _I couldn't watch the ponies with Tiff for two weeks. _

"We're here." Twilight stopped and Jessie nearly collided with her as he was lost in his thoughts. Stopping just in time, he looked up to examine the Golden Oaks Library, his and Tiff's current place of residence within Equestria. It looked almost like it did in the show, except the entrance was now larger.

"Why are the doors so big?" Jessie asked as he and Twilight went through the entrance.

"They're that size to accommodate Spike, of course." Twilight used her magic to take the chest from Jessie, and placed it on a nearby table.

"Spike? What do you mean?"

"So you don't know? Well then, see for yourself. Spike!" Twilight called out. Jessie felt a faint rumble in the room, and one of the doors leading to another wing of the library in the first floor swung open. Within the doorway stood a purple dragon with green spikes, running along the length of his head, neck and tail. He was four times larger than a typical pony. The dragon yawned, revealing its knife-like teeth and long snake-like tongue. Jessie whiffed a metallic aroma coming from the dragon's mouth. It spotted Jessie, and with what looked like a smile, walked up to him. Jessie, mistaking the advance as a desire to eat him, instinctively put up his fists and entered his boxer's stance.

"Woah! Hey calm down, I'm not going to eat you." Spike said, his hands raised, palms facing towards Jessie in a placating manner. Jessie, with his fists still up, leaned in towards Twilight.

"Who is that?" He asked. Twilight giggled and walked over to the dragon, placing a comforting hoof along his side.

"This kid? Why, he's Spike of course!"

"Spike?" Jessie put down his fists and walked up the armored reptilian. "_You're _Spike?"

Spike nodded.

"But, but, but…" Jessie stammered. "You were like…" Jessie faced a palm a foot above the floor indicating Spike's original height. "Like _this _tall. How did you…"Jessie then made a circular motion with his hand towards Spike, indicating his girth. "Seriously, you're _huge_."

"It's due to a growth spurt he had in the past few weeks," Twilight answered.

"It's nice to meet you," Spike said in his unfamiliar deep voice. He raised his enormous hand in a gesture for a handshake. Jessie looked at the hand incredulously, and wrapped a hand around one of Spike's fingers, avoiding the sharp claw, and shook.

"Likewise," Jessie said, continuing to regard Spike with disbelief. "Aren't you like, almost as big as those teenage dragons from that one time?"

"You know about that?" Spike asked.

"I uh..." Jessie glanced at Twilight.

"It's okay Jessie, Spike knows where you're from, and so does Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy. And yes, I too am quite curious about his size. Maybe it's all those fruits and vegetables in your diet, isn't it Spike?"

"Haha, yeah…" Spike chuckled nervously. Jessie sensed that there was more, but left it alone. "Oh by the way, I just finished prepping your room, I hope its okay." Spike extended an arm in a presenting manner towards the room he just walked out of. Jessie walked into the room and looked around. The room was quite spacious and in the center were two beds. The walls were lined with empty shelves, and the books that once took up space on the shelves, were now in several neat stacks along the floor.

"This used to be the fiction wing of the library," Twilight said as she walked into the room with him, "but now this is where you and your sister will sleep."

"Oh, I'm sorry about that." Jessie apologized, looking towards Twilight.

"Its fine, you're here to help, so this is the least we can provide." Twilight walked out of the room and turned her head back towards Jessie. "When you're done here come meet me at Sugar Cube Corner. Let's go Spike." Twilight walked away followed by Spike as they exited the library. Jessie walked over to a bed and hopped on to it in a supine position, staring up at the ceiling. He placed his hands behind his head and took deep breaths. As his heart calmed, his eyes widened and his hand shot to his chest.

_What's this weight on my chest? Am I feeling the weight of responsibility? _Jessie then bolted upright, his hand still on his chest, slightly panicked. _No, this is physical. What the hell is this? _He began pounding his chest but the weight still didn't disappear. Almost frenzied, he got up from the bed and began a brisk walk towards the exit. As he raised a hand preemptively to push open the door, the doors blasted open and Jessie fell onto his back. For a brief moment, the weight on his chest slightly dissipated. Jessie sat up, and looked at his now trembling hand. _What the hell did I just do?_

On his walk to Sugar Cube Corner, Jessie kept his hands in his pockets, not wanting a repeat of what happened at the library. His mind raced for an answer, but couldn't find one. He sub-consciously placed his hand over his chest once again, feeling the weight. He kept his eyes to the ground, and luckily for him, the ponies walked around him, so he didn't bump into anyone. He can hear their whispers, and feel their eyes on him, but all of this paled in comparison to what he had just experienced at the library.

The sound of hooves running towards him caught his attention and he looked up. He saw a light green unicorn filly with a long blonde mane and tail wearing a cat-eared headband running towards him. The filly ran past him, circled around, and was now trotting alongside him.

"There you are, Tiff."

"Bro, I can't find Rainbow Dash anywhere," Tiff said with a frown. A smile tugged at his lips.

"Maybe we'll find her at Sugar Cube Corner." As they neared the confectionary shop Jessie noticed that the doors were widened.

_Probably for Spike_. He thought to himself. Once they were at the door, Jessie apprehensively pulled his hands out of his pockets, and hesitantly wrapped a hand around the handle. Tiff noticed the shakiness of her brother.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Hm? What? Oh, it's nothing." He pushed open the door.

"Surprise!" Six ponies and a dragon cried out. A machine next to the pink one fired a blast of cake mixture that blew on to his face, causing him to fall back for the second time that day.

"Oh no, did I put the cake in the confetti blaster again? Here, I have a napkin." The pink earth pony with the curly raspberry colored mane and tail walked up the cake covered human and offered him a napkin. Blinded by the mixture, Jessie groped around senselessly for the napkin.

"Never mind, I'll handle it." Without warning, her tongue shot out of her mouth and licked the batter off of his face. Within seconds he was relatively clean, save for the saliva that now covered his face. Jessie took the napkin from the pink pony and wiped his face of the saliva. "Well hi there, my name is-"

"Pinkie Pie," Jessie said, dropping the napkin, and standing back up.

"Wow! You ponies-"

"People," corrected Twilight

"Pleepoe," Pinkie said, mispronouncing the word, "are amazing! Ooh ooh, tell me their names!" Pinkie Pie pointed to the other ponies.

"Well, I already met Twilight and Spike. The one with the well-kept mane is Rarity," this drew a blush and a giggle from Rarity, "the one with the hat is Applejack, the rainbow one is Rainbow Dash, and last but certainly not least, the one with the butterfly cutie mark is Fluttershy."

"Brother," Tiff said. Jessie looked down at his sister. "Brother, I thought we weren't supposed to show ponies what we already know about them?" She whispered.

"These ponies here already know where we're from Tiff. Where we're _actually _from."

"Brother?" Rainbow Dash asked. She walked in closer to inspect both Jessie and Tiff. "This little filly is your sister?" Her gaze constantly shifted from Jessie to Tiff and Tiff to Jessie. "I don't see the resemblance. I mean-"

"Rainbow Dash!" Tiff suddenly cried out. She enthusiastically jumped towards Rainbow Dash and pinned her to the ground, rubbing her face affectionately against Rainbow Dash's.

"Woah! What? Wait!" Rainbow Dash struggled against the excited filly.

"Oh Rainbow Dash! Did you know you're my favorite pony from the show? Because you are!" Tiff continued to show her affection towards Rainbow Dash. After a bit of squirming, Rainbow Dash had succeeded in escaping.

"Huh? Favorite? Er, I mean, of course I'm your favorite!" Rainbow stood up on her back two legs and flexed her front two in bravado.

"I wish the princesses turned me into a Pegasus instead, that way I can fly with you Rainbow Dash."

A confused look appeared on Rainbow Dash's face as she turned to Jessie for answers.

"My sister asked to be turned into a pony, the princesses were kind enough to oblige," he answered. "So," he continued, "it's a party."

"That's right! I have lotsa games and activities planned! Then of course there's gonna be cake, cake, and more cake, and punch, and pie, and…" It seemed as though Pinkie wouldn't stop talking.

The party, despite it just being the nine of them, lasted quite long. At one point, Pinkie Pie had brought in a heavy duty Piñata, and in order to alleviate some of Rainbow Dash's skepticisms, Jessie broke it open with a single punch. As the day went by and gave way to the afternoon, the party grew wilder as he found himself wearing Applejack's hat in a conga line. The party reached its climax by the evening when Tiff started to tire and had fallen asleep during Pinkie Pie's variant of pin the tail on the pony, called pin the tail on the human, featuring a crudely drawn Jessie. Spike volunteered to bring the little pony back to the library and had carried her out the shop upon his back. With Tiff gone, Jessie found it time to start a discussion, and had the ponies gathered around in a circle.

"Okay, well, now that my sister is sound asleep, we're free to talk about this wizard guy. I understand that you six had gotten into an altercation with this guy already, what's he like?" Jessie removed Applejack's hat from atop his head and tossed it to the rodeo pony who deftly caught it on her head.

"We couldn't really see what was going," Fluttershy spoke up, "the princesses had us behind a giant boulder that way we couldn't be seen as Twilight prepared a powerful spell with the Elements of Harmony. The princesses and Spike kept him distracted."

Jessie crossed his arms. "Well, I'm here, that means things didn't work out so well, why is that? Did the spell miss?"

Rarity shook her head. "Actually, it was quite on target. After Rainbow Dash had cleared up that awful smog that appeared afterwards, we saw Baade levitating high up into the air. His garment was rather tattered, and his beard look singed."

"So he survived." Jessie's fingers started to pull on his goatee in thought. "Are the Elements of Harmony losing power or something like that?"

"That can't be it," Twilight replied. "Baade has more power than we can imagine."

"And within a year that power will be ten times more apparent," Applejack chimed in. Jessie uttered a curse and turned away from the group. He laced his fingers, placed his hands behind his head, and used them as a support as he looked up at the ceiling, his mind lost in thought. He turned back to the group who looked at him with concern.

"Sorry. I just wish one of the princesses would have told me that in advance."

"Would you have come if they did?" Twilight asked. He looked at Twilight who looked back, her expression demanding an answer.

"Of course. I love this world," he said with conviction. "It's just something I would have preferred to be much more prepared for." Jessie sat down, resting his arms on his knees. "Well, what now?"

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.

"I mean, what do I do for the mean time? I'm not gonna just lay around all day."

"You can give me and Big Mac a hoof down at Sweet Apple Acres."

"I would absolutely love an assistant at my boutique, mostly to watch over my sister and her friends."

"I can use some help with the animals at the shelter, there's been quite a spike in their population."

"With Spike getting bigger, it's getting harder for him to handle the books and use a quill, you can help me reshelf some of the books we have laying around as well as take inventory of what we have."

"And Pies! Mr. and Mrs. Cake gave me a whole new set of responsibilities and I would really love to dump half of those responsibilities on somepony else!"

"…" was Jessie's reply, as the ponies finished listing his new responsibilities. He then turned to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash placed a hoof on her chin as she thought of one more thing Jessie can do.

"Oh I know!" She exclaimed.

"Aw geez, there goes my Saturday."

"I need to add more flying tricks in my repertoire, I could use somepony to watch me do them before I show them to the public and tell me how good they are!"

"So Applejack has me Mondays, Rarity has me Tuesdays, Fluttershy has me Wednesdays, Twilight has me Thursdays, Pinkie has me Fridays and Rainbow has me Saturdays, agreed?" The ponies nodded and Jessie stood up. "So I guess I start tomorrow at Applejack's?"

"Actually, tomorrows the Summer Sun Celebration, and Princess Celestia will be performing the raising of the sun here in Ponyville," Twilight stated.

"That don't mean you get to miss work partner," Applejack said. "You're gonna be workin' the booth with all the apple goods, sellin' them to all the ponies there."

"You're a harsh taskmaster Applejack," was Jessie's sarcastic reply. "I may as well get to sleep then, g'nite all." Jessie waved to the ponies and headed back to the library.

After reaching his room, he looked at the little filly lying in one of the beds, and for the briefest of moments, wondered who in the world it was. _It's Tiff, duh. _He walked to his sister's bedside and pulled the covered up past her shoulders. As Jessie turned to the empty bed, Tiff began to murmur. Curious, he turned back and leaned in closer, directing an ear at his sister.

"Mommy…" Her word struck Jessie in the heart. His brows furrowed slightly in concern, and he sat on her bedside, stroking his sister's mane.

_So she's having that dream again. Dammit… Even here, she's still going to have that dream. _Jessie bit his bottom lip as a small pang of guilt reverberated within him. He got up from her bedside, removed his glasses, placed them on an empty shelf on the wall, and lay down in the other empty bed. Not wanting his thoughts to keep him awake, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a bottle of sleeping pills. He popped two into his mouth and turned to his side, facing his sister. "I'm so sorry Tiff."

It was six am and the entire town of Ponyville was gathered in the outskirts of Ponyville. A large stage had been erected for Princess Celestia's raising of the sun. The sun itself was barely peeking over the horizon, giving Equestria just enough light for visibility. While the area was quite crowded, the congestion mostly took place around an apple goods stand a few meters away from the stage. There, adorned in aprons, was Applejack and Jessie. It wasn't necessarily the food that attracted them, but the one who was handling the transactions.

"Come here and get your vittles everypony! Oh, and if y'all plan on speakin' with my staff, y'all better ante up the bits and make a purchase!" Applejack declared to the crowd.

The bits practically flew into Jessie's hands as each pony paid for a treat and struck a conversation with Jessie. He tried his best to answer every question and give each pony their due time as he placed the coins in the collection bucket, the questions being fired off at a rapid pace.

"Do you like carrots?"

"I can eat 'em I guess, uh-"

"Can you fly?

"I wish."

"How much hay shakes can you drink?"

"I don't think I can actually digest-"

"Where did you come from?"

"That is-"

"Can I have an apple fritter?"

"Three bits please."

"Can you tell me what this rash is?"

"How am I supposed to-"

"Can you help an old pony find his dentures?"

"What's that, A Vesperia reference?"

"What in the world is going on here?!" An authoritative voice called out. The crowd parted to make way for Mayor Mare as she walked through them, approaching the apple stand. "Ambassador, there's no need for you to be working, please, I'm sure Applejack will be fine on her own. I do apologize for-"

"It's alright Mayor," Jessie said, raising a hand in a soothing manner. "I'm just glad I can help out. Would you like an apple fritter? For you only two bits."

"Only two bits? Well okay then." The mayor placed a bit on his hand and took a fritter off the stand before trotting off quite delighted. Applejack gave him a nudge.

"Nice work disarmin' the Mayor like that," She said with a wink. The moment the mayor left, the crowd was back to hounding the stand. Within the hour, they have sold every treat, and Jessie had begun to disassemble the stand. Applejack, with a small pouch clenched between her teeth, stuck her head into the collections bucket, filling the pouch with coins. With a flick of her head, she tossed bit-filled pouch at Jessie who caught it skillfully with one hand.

"What's this for?" He asked, holding the pouch by its drawstrings.

"Your payment of course. No way could I have sold half of those treats without you."

"Something tells me you planned it this way."

A bashful smile appeared on Applejack's face as she looked away. "Maaaybe," was her playful reply. Jessie looked at the little bag-o'-bits, shrugged, and wrapped the drawstrings around one of his belt loops. He untied the apron strings from around his waist and neck, and slung the apron over his shoulder. He finished the disassembly of the stand and placed the parts away from the main gathering. He then joined the crowd that gathered around the stage where six dark-grey coated Unicorns of Celestia's guard, three on each side with instrumental horns placed on stands in front of them, stood.

A familiar rumble caught his attention, and he turned to see Spike, walking on all fours, carrying his sister on his back. Her horn glowed with a faint magenta aura as she used her magic to lift a candied apple at mouth level, allowing her to take bites out it.

"Getting the hang of magic now, are we?" Jessie asked as he walked to Spike's side to address his sister. She nodded, her mouth full of candied apple. She levitated the apple towards Jessie, prompting him to grasp the apple and take a bite. She then directed the apple in front of Spike who devoured the entire thing in one quick bite.

"When you were working, Twilight decided to show me a few spells. Watch this one!" Tiff's eyes closed shut tightly, her head tilted downwards, and she bit her bottom lip as her horn glowed once again. A small tingle appeared on Jessie's philtrum and he placed a finger there wondering what it was. "It's not going to work with your finger in the way," She stated, still concentrating on her magic.

"Oh, okay…" Jessie removed his finger, and the tingling sensation continued. After a few seconds, hairs began to sprout in the groove, and his mustache, once parted in two, was now connected. "What the…" Jessie rubbed the groove under his nose, feeling the hairs. "Tiff! You connected my-" The hairs then fell off, leaving his mustache parted once again. "Aw…"

"Sorry brother," Tiff apologized. "Still working on it."

"That was number twenty-five, wasn't it Tiff?" Jessie asked.

"That's right!"

With a smile, he patted the top of Tiff's head. "Well, I for one think you're doing very well, don't you Spike?" Jessie asked, turning to Spike. Spike looked back a nodded with his draconic smile, still somewhat unnerving to Jessie, and turned back to the stage. "I wonder when it will start."

"Well it's almost seven, so Princess Celestia should be coming up on stage soon." Jessie looked to the side to see it was Twilight who had answered him. "Good morning everypony."

"Good morning teach!" was Tiff's cheerful response.

"Teach?" Jessie asked. He looked to Twilight. "What's that all about?"

"Well, when you left to help set up the stand with Applejack, I saw your sister rifling through some of my books and trying out some of the spells. I was surprised to find that she was successful with some of them, so I decided to make her my little protégé." Twilight walked up to Tiff and patted her proudly on her head.

"Is that so…" was Jessie's ambiguous response.

"You're okay with it, right?" Twilight asked a little apprehensively.

"Its fine, it's just," Jessie paused and addressed his sister, "I better not catch my pants magically on fire one day," he said, pointing a finger at Tiff. A laugh escaped from Spike, Twilight, and Tiff at Jessie's preemptive demand.

"Bring us closer Spike!" Tiff requested, tapping the base of Spike's neck with a hoof. Spike obliged and walked through the crowd, parting the ponies like a shark's fin through water. Twilight and Jessie remained in their place.

The horns sounded as Celestia's guard played the opening to the Summer Sun Celebration. Everypony, a dragon, and a human, all looked to the stage to see Princess Celestia in the center of it. Off the side was Princess Luna, concern evident on her face as she watched her sister stagger to the center.

"Princess Celestia…" Twilight said worriedly as she too noticed the shake in Princess Celestia's movements. "To think Baade would have that much power. The Princess is still recovering…"

Jessie looked to Twilight with sympathetic eyes. He wanted to say something, anything, to make her feel better.

"No," said Jessie. This drew the glance of Twilight whose eyes began to water with tears. "The fact she is up on stage is not a testament to Baade's power. It's a testament to _hers_. Even in this condition, not only does she do her duties, but she continues to take part in celebrations she otherwise could easily put off. In the end it's Baade who's in hiding while she continues to serve her people." Jessie's statement encouraged an emotional smile from Twilight. A warm feeling rushed within Jessie at Twilight's smile. She looked back at the stage and leaned lightly on his arm, causing his face to flush a bright red. As he looked on stage, he can swear he saw Princess Celestia smiling back, a smile he would often have after everything had gone according to plan within the boxing ring.

_Just what is she planning? _He thought to himself. The horns sounded off once again, and Princess Celestia began raising herself slowly into the air. As she took up her dramatic pose, the sun rather than going up, started to dip below the horizon. The starry night sky slowly became visible once more, and the moon ascended back to its original place. The crowd had begun to gasp and whisper at the complete reversal of the day. Princess Celestia lowered herself back to the ground, and looked sternly at her sister. Luna was shaking her head incredulously.

"It's not me! I'm not doing anything!" Princess Luna proclaimed. A sparkling purple mist began to worm its way around the crowd's feet, causing the ponies to back away from it, utter prayers, and cry for help. The mist then snaked upwards and gathered in to a swirling mass high above the stage. As the mass condensed, a small black cloud formed, and upon it stood a tall and slender Mare-Like figure. It had the black wings of a seraph, and its horn was long and lethally pointed. Her mane and tail resembled the night sky just like Luna's, and the mysterious pony's head was armored with an ornate platinum helm. Jessie's glasses had fogged, and he had to wipe them off on his shirt before he could see the mare on the black cloud.

"No way…" were the words that came out of Jessie's mouth as he put his glasses back on and looked up at the mare. Jessie looked back at the stage-side where Princess Luna was also staring up at the mare, her mouth open and eyes wide.

"Nightmare Moon? But Princess Luna is right there." To confirm, Twilight looked to the stage as well. "How can it be?"

The mare's horn glowed, and simultaneously fired six bolts of magical energy, one for each of Celestia's guards, knocking them out and away from the stage.

"Who are you?!" Princess Luna shouted. The mare took notice, and looked down at the younger princess, and gave her a malicious grin. The black cloud beneath the mare's hooves dissipated, and she descended towards Luna. "Who. Are. You." Princess Luna reaffirmed.

"My, my. Having an identity crisis now are we? Don't you know _yourself_?" was the mare's coy reply.

"You are not me!" Luna yelled, stamping a hoof. "I've abandoned that form long ago when-"

"When your sister, _my_ sister, finally decided to extend you, _me,_ kindness?" The mare interrupted Luna. She began to pace around Luna, encircling her. "One thousand years. For one thousand years, I, no, _you_, suffered a miserable existence, banished to the moon. And for what? For wanting to keep it night forever? For wanting Equestria to look up at my beautiful night sky? _Your _beautiful night sky? I don't believe any pony was hurt, no, actually, only one pony was victimized. _Me_. _You."_

"Perhaps the punishment was rather severe," Princess Luna stated, "but one thousand years is nothing to me."

"There's no point in lying to me, lying to _yourself. _One thousand years is too much for anypony, no matter how little the years age you. I know… _you _know, that all this, right now, is a façade. Attending the Summer Sun Celebration, the longest day of the year, and being happy about it? Giving the ponies more day, and less of my, _your_, beautiful night?" The dark mare was now face to face with Luna, her eyes peering into Luna's.

"No… that is…" Luna stammered.

"Look what happened when you came back. Every single night, you tire yourself, trying to make the night as beautiful as it can be. Each night is much more beautiful than the last, but nopony, nopony at all, notices. They all would be just as content if all you did was bring up the moon, and just let utter darkness fill the world while they sleep. They don't appreciate it your work, your art. Nopony cares!" The mare's testimony made Luna bite her lip as she stifled a sob. She couldn't, however, restrain the tears that flowed from her eyes and the small sniffles she started to receive. "The truth hurts, doesn't it?"

"Nightmare Moon!" Called out Princess Celestia. The mare turned to face the older princess. "Step away from my sister."

"Oh how cold," was Nightmare's posh response, "I _am_ your sister. Haven't you been paying attention?"

"What is your purpose here?" Celestia's brows furrowed as she asked the question.

"Oh, I'm just here to remind myself of the cruelty and injustice that has been delivered on to me by your cruel hooves, _sister_." Nightmare had said the word "sister" with such spite that she had practically gagged. "And despite a thousand years of imprisonment, no pony cares, about what has happened or what I do for them now."

"_You_ do nothing for us, Nightmare Moon!" Celestia closed the distance between herself and Nightmare, and locked horns with her. "It is Princess Luna who does it for us!"

"Me, her, what's the difference? Now as for my second purpose…" She violently shoved Princess Celestia away causing her to stumble back. "Now that you're in this weakened state, I'm going to take you away!" Nightmare Moon transformed back into mist, and completely enveloped Princess Celestia.

"Sister!" Luna cried out. She ran to the spot where Celestia was standing, smothered by the mist, but the mist parted, revealing nopony at all. The mist then flew away, towards the direction of the Everfree Forest. "Sister! No!" Luna took off in flight, chasing after the mist.

Spike scrambled back to Twilight, Tiff holding on to his neck. "Twilight, what do we do?" Spike's voice was nearly in hysterics.

"I'll tell you what we're going to do!" This had come from Rainbow Dash who made a speedy descent to the side of Twilight. "We're going to get our princess back!"

"You're not gettin' any arguments from me," said Applejack as she approached the group.

"Nor me," Rarity said, approaching from behind.

"Me neither!" Pinkie Pie enthusiastically called out as she hopped out from the crowd.

"Or-or me either… I guess…" Fluttershy said softly, flying in slowly and nervously. "But, wherever do we start?"

"I have an idea," Twilight said. "Spike, watch the town for us."

"Got it."

"Let's go girls!" The mane six took off at a brisk pace towards the Everfree forest. Jessie's eyes followed them for a bit, then he looked to Tiff.

"Tiff. Stay with Spike, I'm gonna give those girls a hand."

Surprisingly, no argument came from Tiff. "Promise me you'll be okay?" There was a slight quiver in her voice as she tried her best to remain strong. With a smile, Jessie picked Tiff up and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I promise." He placed Tiff back on Spike's back, and went into a wild sprint after the ponies. By the time he reached the edge of the Everfree forest, the ponies were nowhere in sight. He did see a large amount of hoof-prints leading into the forest. He started a slow walk, following cracked twigs, crushed leaves, and, if he was lucky, an occasional hoof print.

_I've never been much of a tracker. But with six of them running through here, it shouldn't be too hard. _

For half an hour he kept his eyes close to the ground, following what he hoped was the tracks of the ponies. He looked ahead to see a large amount of foliage and brush pushed away, snapped, and otherwise displaced.

_Perfect. _

He increased his pace and ran down the path, following the signs. The brush started to get thinner and less rampant. He saw a clearing up ahead and increased his speed, the clearing turned out to be a cliff, and a large vertical drop, and right before reaching Jessie dug his heels into the ground and grabbed a nearby branch, stopping himself an inch away from the cliff edge.

_Crap._

Jessie peered over the side to see a grass-lined gorge.

_I've seen this before. Episode two, when the ponies nearly fell off this cliff. _He inched his way across the cliff edge and surely enough, found the slope that Twilight had nearly slipped off. He noticed a disturbance among the rocks and plants along the slope.

_So they slid down…_

Jessie cautiously lowered himself down on to the slope, and slid down. He used his hands to control himself as he went down.

_So far so good…_

Jessie then reached a small patch of loose dirt and pebbles, causing him to lose his grip and speed up.

"Shit!" Jessie turned to his belly during the slide, and grabbed on to a root of a plant. His legs were now hanging precariously off the slope, and touching the cliff-side. The fibers of the root began to unravel and tear and Jessie's eyes widened in fear.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit." Jessie looked over to his left and spotted a small platform jutting out. With his free hand, his dug his fingers into the side of the slope. Not trusting the root any further, he let go of it, grabbed the edge, and lifted himself up. Before he could slip down, he rolled to the left, and when he did fall, landed on the platform he spotted seconds earlier. Jessie peered over the platforms side and found several other platforms jutting out the side, leading to the bottom.

_ This is how Applejack got down in that episode. I might end up breaking my knees. _Jessie ran his hand across the surface of the cliff-side. _A little rough, but not jagged. _He peered back onto the platform below him. _It's the only way down. _Jessie tore off a sleeve from his shirt, and wrapped his right hand in the rag. _Here goes nothing._ Jessie hopped off the platform with his right hand sliding down the edge.

"Ahhh!" He cried out as he landed on the lower platform. The rag had torn to pieces, and the skin of his fingertips and palm had been rubbed raw. "Dammit…" Jessie tore off his other sleeve, supplementing the rag with another layer. He repeated what he did before, and his scream was even louder. As he looked up from where he slid he saw a small streak of red going down the cliff. He unwrapped his hand, revealing several open cuts and some skin scrapped off his hand.

_Shit. _

He looked over the platform as he did before and counted the remaining platforms left.

_Seven more to go. _He wrapped his hand once more and steeled himself for the descent.


	4. Gone For Good

**Note from the Author: Hey all, managed to knock out some of my assignments pretty quick so I got around to writing this chapter. Unfortunately, now I have a script to work on for theater class so there might be a delay for chapter 5. Again, I'm sorry everybody D: **_  
_

* * *

Minutes_ prior to Jessie's descent…_

"No need to be too careful now, Rarity. This time you're aimin' for the ground, can't miss it," Applejack chidingly reassured Rarity as she and the rest of the group looked up at her from the ground. Rarity was on the lowest platform and was just one jump away.

"Oh well pardon me, but this is the furthest fall, I'm not going to be much help if my legs break!" Rarity then closed her eyes and leaped, emitting a tiny squeal. Within a second she landed on her feet, her eyes shut tight, teeth gritted, and legs trembling. "Did I… Did I make it?"

"Open your eyes now sugar, you made it." At the sound of Applejack's voice, Rarity opened an eye, and relaxed.

A frustrated sigh escaped from Twilight as she turned away and readied to dive back into the brush. "That's enough delay girls, I have a feeling the princesses are going to need us." As soon as she finished speaking, a wild roar echoed throughout the valley. "What in the name of Celestia was-"

"Over there!" Pinkie Pie cried out and pointed at something behind them. The group turned to see her hoof was directed at a lion-like creature with wings, and a scorpion's tail.

"Muh-muh-muh-muh-manticore!" The group cried out collectively.

Rainbow Dash leaned in towards Fluttershy. "I don't suppose this is the same one as before, is it? Maybe there's a thorn in its paw like last time?"

"Um, I guess I can check…"Fluttershy flew in closer to the beast. Saliva oozed down the sides of its mouth, which then collected at the bottom of its lip before dripping down into a thick glob onto the ground. A ravenous look was in its eyes, and the tail was raised and poised to strike. Fluttershy recognized the signs all too well. "Eeep!" She quickly flew back and hid behind Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash looked at Fluttershy with furrowed eyebrows. "Fluttershy, what was that? You didn't even say anything to it!"

"Th-there's no reasoning with a hu-hungry muh-manticore!" No sooner was Fluttershy's statement completed did the manticore leap up into the air, using it wings to assist in gaining height, and at the group of ponies. With incredible timing, Twilight used her magic to pick up a nearby branch, and used it to thwack the manticore across the face mid-air, causing it to lose its balance, and land on the ground on its face in a rough manner.

"Now girls! We don't have time to deal with it!" They took off back into the foliage, away from the stunned manticore.

* * *

"AAAAAHHHHH!" An agonizing scream escaped Jessie's lungs as he finally landed on the ground, his rag-wrapped hand scraping against the cliff. His knees gave in and he ended up kneeling on the ground. He held his right wrist with his left hand, holding the palm of his right hand up towards his face. With his teeth, he unraveled the rags around his hand he made with the sleeves of his shirt. The rags were completely shredded and practically shed itself off his hand as he undid the wrapping. The palm of his hand and his fingers tips were completely red, not from being rubbed raw, but from being de-skinned. Jessie could make out the fiber strands of the muscles in his hand. He looked back up at the cliff and examined the long, bloody trail of red he left behind as he jumped to each platform. He could see bits of his skin stuck on some parts of the cliff-side along the trail.

"Crap…" Jessie let go of his wrist, and his arm fell limply to his side. He tore off a strip from the bottom of his shirt, wrapping the rag around his right palm and weaving it in between his fingers. His un-skinned finger tips were left exposed. As he tied the knot tighter with his teeth, a growl emanated from behind him. "…" Jessie slowly turned his head to see a drooling manticore.

Remembering how Fluttershy calmed a manticore, Jessie got up slowly, and started to approach the chimera, his hands raised disarmingly in a gesture for calmness. "It's okay. I'm just passing through, I'm not gonna-" Before he could finish, the manticore leapt greedily at Jessie, its paws raised high in a pounce. With a deftness characteristic of a boxer, he hopped to the side just in time. The manticore's tail shot out towards his face, and as if it were like a boxer's punch, Jessie's head swayed expertly to the side. Jessie skipped backwards, creating distance between him and the manticore.

"Hey, calm down now I…" Jessie trailed off after looking at the drool that dribbled from the manticore's chin. "You're hungry, aren't you?"

As if in reply, the manticore roared. It began to pace around Jessie, wings unfurled, tailed raised, and eyes locked on. Jessie gritted his teeth and he balled his right hand into a fist.

"Fine then." He bent down and picked up a sizeable rock with his left hand and gripped it tightly. His examined his right fist. _I shouldn't place too much stress on it. _With his right hand in this condition, rather than his typical boxing position, he entered a southpaw stance, his right side projected outwards, and his left hand, encircled around a rock, pulled back; ready to deliver the powerful strikes.

"Come here kitty kitty."

* * *

Four out of the mane six ran through the forest at a brisk pace as Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew right above. Twilight's and Rarity's horns illuminated the path as they continued their wild dash through the forest.

"Wait a minute, I remember this path." Rainbow Dash spoke up. "At this rate we'll be at the river, and if we cross the river, we'll-"

"Be at the old abandoned castle," Rarity said, completing Rainbow Dash's sentence.

"Wait a minute," Applejack said, "how do we know for sure they're going to be there?"

"They just have to be there," Twilight responded, "they have to be…"

During their run, a shudder took over a Pinkie Pie as she bounded into the air, still continuing to move forward. As she landed, the ponies stopped to look at her.

"Pinkie, are you okay?" Fluttershy asked.

"I just had a doozy of a shudder! And you all remember what that means right? When I get a doozy of a shudder, a doozy of a thing is going to happen!"

"Something that we won't expect…" Twilight said to herself as she contemplatively placed a hoof on her chin in thought. "We can't worry about that now girls, if it comes we deal with it then, let's get moving." The ponies continued their run, and stopped when they reached the river. The river was coursing hard, and looked too dangerous to cross.

"I wonder where in the world that serpent is," Rarity said. As if on cue, a snake-like figure, emerged from the water, but it wasn't the same serpent. Rather than purple, it was a brilliant sapphire. Its arms weren't thin and lanky, but muscled, and rather than dainty fingernails, had sharp claws. No hair adorned its head, but a pair of long crooked horns, and its head was shaped in a rather draconic manner. It snaked its head closer to the ponies.

"Well what do we have here?" It asked as it examined the ponies.

"Oh, um hello, we were wondering if we could cross this river. The last serpent we met here let us so we would really appreciate if you would…" Twilight faltered under the serpents gaze. A toothy grin appeared on the serpent's face followed by a laugh. The ponies all nervously joined in.

"Silence!" He demanded, causing the ponies to shut their mouths. "You claim to have been let across before by another serpent. Did he have this ridiculous hair and this odd mustache?"

"That's right," Twilight answered. "Whatever happened to him?" The serpent grinned once more at her question and brought his head in even closer to the ponies.

"That _disgrace _to all serpents everywhere, was my little brother. I ate him." The horror of his statement made the group cringe back, Rarity swoon, and Fluttershy faint. "The miserable little wretch didn't even have the gall to fight back. All he did was beg and beg, it made me so sick I had nearly regurgitated his lower half."

Twilight had to place a hoof on her mouth to stop herself from throwing up. "Um, look Mr. Serpent, we really need to get across, would you kindly let us, please?" She asked, removing her hoof from her mouth.

The serpent crossed his arms and raised his head higher, regarding the ponies. He then submerged the rest of his body except his head, keeping it level with the ponies.

"What do you ponies know of sacrifice?" He asked.

"Excuse me?" Twilight asked in return.

"It's a lesson I like to teach sentient beings. You can say it's a trait of us serpents, wanting to teach lessons. Tell me, what do you know of sacrifice?"

Twilight rolled her eyes at the question. "Ugh, we don't have time for this." Her horn glowed with magic, and she emitted a flash that surrounded the entire pony group. They disappeared from where they stood, and reappeared on the other side. Twilight turned back to the bewildered serpent. "I will answer your question _after_ we save the princess." She and the rest of the ponies then took off towards the castle.

* * *

Cuts covered Jessie's shirt and torso, and a really long one ran across his face, starting on his left eyebrow, and going diagonally across the bridge of his nose and down under his right eye, his glasses having been snapped in two and now lay uselessly on the ground. In his left hand he held on tightly to a bloodied rock. His chest heaved heavily for air and he had to close his left eye as blood continued to trickle down and obscure his vision. His feral opponent wasn't doing much better.

The manticore's tail was bent in the middle, the bone snapped in half, leaving the once lethal stinger resting on the ground as it dragged it along. A wing on its back was crooked and tattered, and its face had heavy bruising and bled in some areas. Many of its sharp teeth were now shattered, and the remnants littered the ground. Its claws were bloodied and some held bits of cloth and flesh.

The two continued to stare each other down as the manticore continued to pace a circle around Jessie. A snarl was plastered on the manticore's face, and Jessie, given the savage nature of the situation, replicated the expression. The manticore then stopped, and locked eyes with Jessie. Jessie wasn't sure if there was any intelligence behind this creature, but he knew there was no reasoning with it at this point. He shook his head forlornly.

"Come on!" He challenged. Accepting, the manticore ran towards him. Seven feet away, it leaped at Jessie, claws outstretched to embrace Jessie in its hunt. Jessie did an overhand strike with his left, smashing the rock into the crown of the manticore and creating a sickening crunch. The manticore fell to the ground, dazed. Jessie kneeled down and raised the rock above his head. He looked down sadly at the manticore, all it wanting to do was eat. He brought his mouth close to the manticore's ear.

"I'm sorry." The rock descended with finality.

Jessie walked away from the gruesome scene wiping the blood of the manticore's, as well as his own from his face. The scar across his face was long, but shallow, though the bleeding above his left eyebrow was plentiful and he was forced to keep his left eye shut, even as he applied pressure on it with a thick leaf he picked up from the ground, not wanting to tear his shirt up even more.

_Why do forehead cuts have to bleed so much_, he thought, remembering the times he received a cut from a punch in the ring, or when he popped the pimples on his forehead when he was an adolescent. He found the ponies trail and followed it, his left hand placed on his bleeding brow, and his right hand, still wrapped in strips of shirt, gingerly maneuvering the outstretched branches away from him. He proceeded along what he supposed were the ponies trail for nearly half an hour.

_Maybe they didn't go this way. I'm no expert at this. Maybe it's best if I just go back… _As Jessie was about to lose hope, the sound of a raging river caught his ears. _A river! That means… The abandoned castle! So that's where they're headed! _Jessie ran towards the sound of the river, his left hand still pressed against his brow. Upon seeing the river, he slid along the ground on his knees, and dunked his head into the water. After pulling his head out he then placed his right hand into the river, allowing the cold water to numb the pain. His moment of reprieve was short-lived as a serpent figure, emerged from the water with a savage roar.

"Who dares bloody my river!?" It cried out. It looked down and saw Jessie sitting down by the bank, wide-eyed. "Oh, what's this? First ponies, now, a human?"

Jessie immediately stood up to look the serpent face to face. "You know what I am?" He asked. The serpent moved its face closer to Jessie's putting his at level with Jessie's.

"I do. It has been thousands of years since humans lived in this world."

"You're that old?"

"Oh no, I am merely hundreds of years old," The serpent turned away for a brief moment, "though my father has told me a tale of humans who was told by his father, my grandfather and so on," he turned back to Jessie, "but that is beside the point. Why are you here human, and why do you muddle my river with your blood?"

"I'm sorry I didn't know…" Jessie stepped back, ready to take off. "I… I don't suppose you would let me cross would you?"

"Cross? That was the second time I heard this request this morning. Or should I say night? I've no idea. The first time one of the magic using ponies decided to disregard my question and just teleported across with her companions, cursed magic users." The serpent spat spitefully. "How about you, human? Can you use magic?"

Jessie thought of how he blasted open the library doors, but he has failed to replicate the result since. Not entirely sure, he shook his head. A grin then appeared on the serpent's face.

"Good. Good. Then tell me…" He brought his face closer to Jessie's once more. "What do you know… of _sacrifice_?"

* * *

"We're finally here," Twilight stated as she slowed to a walk. The group was on the far side of the bridge away from old abandoned castle. As they looked up at one of the towers, they could see flashes of magic, and sounds of small explosions.

"The fight's already starting! I'm getting up there now!" Rainbow Dash flew straight for the tower.

"Don't go alone Rainbow!" Fluttershy called out after her.

"We don't know what could be going on," Rainbow Dash replied, "One of us has got to get up there now!"

"It's too dangerous to just barge in on a magical fight!" Twilight reasoned. "We won't be of any use to the princesses burnt to a crisp! We're going through the main entrance! "

"Ugh, fine!" Rainbow Dash flew back down and waited for the other ponies to cross the bridge. Once they crossed, Applejack kicked open the entrance and the ponies ran inside.

* * *

"You are so foolish! But then again, I suppose that makes me quite foolish as well, doesn't it?" Nightmare moon asked Princess Luna. Princess Luna lay against the furthest wall, the stone cracked behind her. The large room was where the Elements of Harmony were first used after a thousand years, the same room Nightmare Moon had been defeated before. In the corner furthest from where Luna lay, was Princess Celestia, trapped helplessly within a semi-spherical force-field, watching her sister struggle fruitlessly against her more aggressive persona. Luna stood back up, her legs quivering as she struggled to remain upright.

"Stop… saying… you're me…" Luna demanded, speaking in between heavy breaths. Her mane had become bedraggled, and rather than perpetually flowing behind her, was now motionless and covered half her face.

"Yes, perhaps I should. It is becoming increasingly obvious that I am nothing like you. _ I _am not weak. _ I _am not content to be unappreciated. Nor am _I _willing to allow one thousand years of injustice go unpunished, and pretend that nothing ever happened!" Nightmare directed her horn at Luna, and fired a blue pulse of magical energy. Her legs, using everything they had just to keep her up, remained still, and the blast caught Luna full-force, smashing her against the wall once more, lengthening the cracks.

"Sister!" Celestia called out, barely audible within the confines of her magical prison. Nightmare Moon looked to the older princess with an amused expression.

"Why Celestia, I almost heard you that time. That must've been quite scream," She said cruelly, the corner of her mouth tugging upwards into a smirk. Celestia muttered additional, inaudible words directed at Nightmare Moon. "Tsk tsk, such language sister, I guess it's a good thing you're stuck in that bubble, wouldn't want the more impressionable me hearing such vulgarity." She turned her attention back to Luna, who had somehow, through some hidden vestige of strength, managed to stand up back on her legs once again.

"Foul witch… we're not… done here…"

"For one so weak, you're surprisingly resilient, as contradictory as that sounds. I must commend you, or rather, commend _myself_." Nightmare laughed haughtily, raising a hoof to cover her mouth slightly. Luna shot her a glare and sudden beam of magic fired from her horn. "A futile effort!" Nightmare declared as she moved her head slightly to the side. The spell flew harmlessly by, blasting a small hole into the wall behind her. In mock sadness, Nightmare shut her eyes and shook her head.

"There's… still… more…" Luna's legs gave away, and she collapsed on to the floor. Her breathing was now ragged, and she now stared helplessly up at Nightmare Moon.

"It is a sad sight, to see one's self in such a position." Nightmare moon walked up the now fallen Luna. "Such shamefulness. Such dishonor." She placed a hoof on Luna's head and pressed it to the floor. "You were once powerful, so powerful that your sister was forced to use the Elements of Harmony on you. Twice in fact. You could have regained that power; _we_ could've been one once more! But no, you gave that up, you allowed yourself to become a puppet, a dog, allowing yourself to be leashed wherever and whenever, doing whatever menial task assigned you." She removed her hoof from Luna's head.

"For one thousand years, Celestia has raised the night in my place. Yes, I was banished to the moon, but in the end, the night was my responsibility, my responsibility to bring the night to the sky, and to remove it, to make way for sunrise. So you may call it a menial task, but it's _my _task to do, and my responsibility." Luna stated, still lying on the ground.

"Still, nopony appreciates it." Nightmare turned away from the fallen princess.

"What is it that you want Nightmare Moon!? You say you want justice for the injustice done to you-"

"Done to you!" Nightmare interrupted, turning back to Luna.

"Yet," Luna continued, "you still go on about how nopony appreciates your work! I mean, MY, work! What do you want?!"

"Everything!" Nightmare Moon shouted. She walked back to Luna. "I shouldn't be here; I was defeated by the Elements of Harmony, yet I am still here. Do you know why that is?" She asked Luna. Luna didn't reply, though she looked up questioningly. "I am still here," Nightmare continued, "because you still wished for me to be here."

"That's a lie!" Luna cried. A bitter laugh escaped Nightmare Moon.

"I speak the truth! The Elements of Harmony have separated me from you, and dispersed of my form, yet I still permeated, here, within this castle! Because I am you, and you are me, a link exists between us, and off this link, I feed. I feed off of your bitterness, your resentment, these feelings you have every day and every night. Your loneliness, your sadness, your anger, and finally, this morning, the morning that failed to become a morning, I fed off of the rage that was within you as the ponies all watched in awe as Celestia prepared to raise the sun on the longest day of the year!"

"No! You lie!" Luna had placed her hooves over her ears and had shut her eyes tightly. "I'll hear no more of your stories!"

"You may choose not to listen, but you know it to be true! As I fed off your rage this morning, my form had finally been completed, my power restored, and I was ready to take my revenge, and to force ponies to look eternally upon the beautiful night sky! _This _is why I exist. _This _is why I'm here. _These _are the things you want the most! Revenge for the cruelty unleashed on to you by your unjust sister, and the admiration of Equestria! Tell me now, tell _yourself, _do I lie?!"

"Yes! No! I don't know!"

Nightmare looked down on Luna disapprovingly, and once more, placed a hoof on the top of Luna's head. "My form is complete, and my being has become a physical reality. I was hoping we could become one, but it appears all you would do is weaken me." She raised her hoof high above Luna's head. "Now is the time to dispose of you."

Princess Celestia banged against the walls of her confinement, trying desperately to save her sister. Back kicks, stabs with her horns, fierce slams, and spells had no effect. As she watched Nightmare Moon raise her hoof above Luna's head, a tear fell from the corner of Celestia' eye as she watched hopelessly.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Nightmare Moon looked up just in time to see a light-blue Pegasus with a rainbow colored mane and tail flying at her at an alarming speed, a fore hoof raised and extended towards her in preparation for a hit. She dodged to the side with a flap of her black wings, narrowly avoiding the hit. With expertise, the Pegasus stopped before hitting the wall, and turned to face her, flapping her wings to remain in the air. "Don't you dare hurt the princess! Either of them!"

"It's over Nightmare Moon!" The statement came from Twilight Sparkle who had shown up from the stairs, flanked by Applejack and rarity on one side, and Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy on the other.

"So six little ponies showed up thinking they can play with the big girls? Is that it? Pray tell, where are the Elements of Harmony? I can't believe you all were foolish enough not to bring them, or did you think Princess Luna alone would have been enough help?"

"Ponies…" Princess Luna said, as she brought herself up again. "Girls… you must run… she's too powerful..."

"Once again, your resilience surprises me." Nightmare said to Luna.

"Princess Luna, we're not leaving you or Princess Celestia here!" Twilight said.

"That's right Princess, we ain't leavin' 'till the cattle come home. Or until she's done with, whatever comes first."

"Yeah! Let's bring down this big ole' meanie head!"

"As a lady I'm not much into fighting… But neither will I stand by and allow your tyranny to reign over!"

"P-perhaps it's better if you would so kindly surrender, please?"

"Yeah, before we kick your butt!"

"Ahahaha!" laughed out Nightmare Moon. "So then, you ponies think you can take me on? Come then, so I may show you the error of your ways!"

* * *

"God damn serpent… and his god damn lesson…." Jessie muttered as he stumbled along the ponies trail. His movement was wavering, and he stopped to lean against a tree. His right hand clutched the bloody stump near his shoulder where his left arm once existed. The serpent had taken a "practical" and more "hands on" approach in teaching Jessie about sacrifice.

"I can't think, I can't concentrate… Losing too much blood…" Jessie's back slid down the length of the tree until he was in a sitting position.

"Cold… Need fire… must cauterize…" Jessie's vision went black.

Iciness enveloped Jessie; death hovered over Jessie with anticipation, slowly caressing his scythe, waiting eagerly for the soul to leave its ruined vessel. Thoughts of warmth, wanting to be warm, the warmth of his sheets in his room in the Golden Oaks Library, the warmth of Twilight leaning against his arm, the warmth of hugging his sister close to his body, after every match, every victory and defeat, during the carriage ride to Ponyville, all resonated within the confines of his mind.

Thoughts of emotional warmth gave way to the primal. The need to stay warm, to live, to survive, to continue one's legacy, one's family, one's species, primal feelings. All of this gave way to one thought, fire. A fierce nearly uncontrollable mass of red, orange, yellow, and blue, devouring everything it is given, growing bigger and bigger, but despite its destructive properties, giving life to those who knew how to use it, light, a way to cook meals, and most typically, warmth. Jessie was once again aware of the weight in his chest, slowly alleviating itself, and a sulfurous smell filled his nostrils.

Jessie's eyes snapped open at the smell, and the sound of a fierce cackling and crackling surrounded him. He was encompassed within a ring of fire that threatened to consume everything as it traveled outwards from Jessie.

_What the hell! Why is there fire here?! Why is there… fire! _Realizing the boon he was given, he quickly grabbed a lit branch, dried leaves, other sticks and placed them in a pile. He ignored the fire around him and focused on creating a small controlled source. When he deemed his campfire big enough, he picked a flat rock, roughly the size of his hand and tossed it into the fire. With only a single arm and hand, he added branches and kindling, and continued to fan the flames. After a while, e tested the rock with the tip of his finger, and pulled it back hastily as it singed his fingertip, leaving a black burn mark.

"Perfect." Jessie removed his shirt, albeit difficult with only one arm, and used it as a mitt when he picked up the hot flat rock. Jessie swallowed hard as he mentally prepared himself for what he must do. "Here goes nothing…" Jessie pressed the rock against the severed part of what remained of his left arm. "Gah! Shit…" A searing noise was heard, and smoke began to emerge. Small gasps escaped from Jessie and he did his very best to regulate his breathing. "Aw, dammit… ah… ah…" The stomach churning smell of his own searing flesh caused him to gag.

He didn't know how long he held the rock in place, but did so until all heat had escaped from it. The fire that once raged around him settled down, albeit small embers still existed, and the smoke was surely to be seen all the way to Ponyville. He pulled the rock away from his stump, small strands of meat and flesh clinging onto the rock, and snapping away as he pulled the rock away, causing him to grit his teeth in pain. The bleeding had stopped, and the stump was now blackened and charred.

_It's like my arm was cut off by a light saber. _A small chuckle left Jessie at the thought. _I'm an idiot…_ He tossed the rock away, put his shirt back, again, difficult with one arm, and wiped away the blood that came from his forehead and encrusted over his left eye. He looked up and spotted the abandoned castle.

"Almost there…."

* * *

"Had enough yet, ponies?" Nightmare Moon asked the seven ponies scattered about the room. They all groaned as they struggled to get back on their feet. "You are all fools," Nightmare scorned, "Coming here, without the Elements of Harmony, thinking you all are capable of defeating me. To think that such arrogance existed."

Applejack got up, her hat slightly tattered, and addressed Nightmare Moon. "Don't be countin' your apples 'till the orchard's all picked. We ain't through yet."

"That's right!" Rainbow Dash added, picking herself up and hovering in place, "We still got some fight in us!"

"Y-you don't scare us… Well maybe me a little," Fluttershy quietly chimed, "but I'm not running away either!"

"You ruined my mane!" Rarity angrily stated, "So don't think I'm letting you get away with such a crime! Oh and kidnapping our princesses too of course."

"And when we're done, I'm going to throw the biggest, bestest party ever, and you're not invited!" Pinkie Pie declared, bounding high into the air comically.

"You have our answer Nightmare Moon," Twilight said, wiping off some dust from her cheek, "We haven't had enough."

"Girls…" Luna said, looking up at the girls behind her as she lay on the ground. She too then pushed herself up and confronted Nightmare Moon. "I will not leave my loyal subjects to fight my battles for me by themselves. I too will continue to fight."

A frown appeared on Nightmare Moon's face. "Such insanity. I'm afraid if I stay here much longer some of it might rub off on to me. I applaud all of your efforts, but I'm afraid I must cure you all of your illnesses."

"What the heck are you talking about!?" Rainbow Dash asked.

A malicious smile appeared on Nightmare's face. "What do you think? They say that the only cure for stupidity is _death_." Nightmare Moon's horn flashed, and all the ponies were pushed up against the far wall. Nightmare Moon then walked over to where Princess Celestia was confined, who still tried to break free. "Calm yourself sister," Nightmare said as she approached the imprisoned pony. Celestia stopped and glared at Nightmare, her eyes emitting pure hatred. "Do not look at me in such a way sister, its pains when you do, especially now that I'm giving such a wonderful gift." Nightmare Moon then turned to look at the ponies pinned against the wall. "I'm letting you choose the order in which I'm going to kill them." She then turned back to Celestia, "So who shall I kill first?"

"Maybe yourself, that would be make things a lot easier for me." A male voice called out.

"What?"

"Who was that?"

"That voice…"

"Could it be?"

"No way."

"It is!"

"Jessie!" The ponies exclaimed collectively upon seeing him emerge from the stairs. Their relief was cut short and they all gasped after seeing the state the boxer had arrived in. He was missing his left arm, his right hand was tattered, cuts, some still bleeding, lined his body, a long gash was on his face, and he was panting heavily. Despite his condition, Jessie turned to the ponies with a smile and gave them a thumbs up, before turning back to Nightmare Moon.

_Out of all the things in the Everfree Forest that can take the fight out of me, from steep cliffs, to Manticores, hungry serpents, or a missing arm, a flight of stairs is what it takes to get me so tired. _Jessie thought to himself.

"What's this, a human?"

"You're the second thing here in this forest that asked me that same question, Nightmare Moon. Except I had both my arms the first time."

"You're practically dying already. I suggest you save me the effort and just lie down and pretend you are. How do you plan on defeating me?"

_How do I plan on defeating her? _Jessie thought. He recalled _Friendship is Magic: Part Two_ when Twilight charged directly at Nightmare, and Nightmare, quite so cockily, charged back. _Here's hoping she's still as cocky as ever. _

Jessie smirked and raised his right fist coyly. "Oh, I plan on doing it, _singlehandedly_." Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash burst out laughing but was looked at sternly by their friends. The joke didn't go over so well with Nightmare Moon either.

"It appears that arrogance plagues this group."

"So do friendship and good looks, but you wouldn't know anything about those, would you?"

"I demand you remain silent human!"

"Then why don't you make me?" Jessie sprinted towards Nightmare Moon, his right fist pulled back.

"Jessie, no!" Twilight called out, a hoof extended towards Jessie. Nightmare Moon hadn't moved from her spot. _What is she waiting for?_ Jessie thought asher horn then began to glow. _Shit! Did I miscalculate? _The horn then stopped glowing and the same smile she had when Twilight charged her before appeared on Nightmare's face. _That's right you overconfident piece of… _Nightmare Moon then charged towards Jessie, her horn lowered and ready to impale.

_That's a really scary horn. _As the distance between the pony and the human grew smaller, the scarier the horn appeared. _Gotta time it right… _The horn loomed closer. _Gotta wait until the last possible moment… _The horn loomed closer. _Oh god that's a scary horn! _Jessie's fist shot out, his knuckle aimed at the base of Nightmare's horn. Upon contact, the horn was directed away from Jessie; a loud crack was heard, followed by a bloodcurdling scream. Every pony's eyes were wide as they watched the black horn of Nightmare Moon ascend into the air before clattering uselessly on the ground.

The magical field that surrounded Celestia dissipated, and she ran to where the ponies lay. "Is everypony here all right?" She asked.

"We're okay, Princess." Twilight said. She and the other ponies stood back up, with Applejack and Pinkie Pie assisting Luna. Celestia walked towards her sister.

"Sister, I'm so sorry, none of this would have happened had-" Luna was silenced when Celestia wrapped a leg around Luna's neck in an embrace.

"Sshh, it's okay Luna, it is not your fault." Celestia then let Luna go and turned to where Nightmare Moon lay, resting on all fours, her mouth open in horror and her eyes staring upwards at the shattered shaft of the horn. Blood and bone marrow dripped down the shaft, sliding down her face.

"My horn… my horn…"

Jessie was looking down on her, his right hand hanging limply by his side. "I wonder what we'll do with you."

"I know what to do," Luna said, walking over to where Jessie stood. With her magic she lifted up the broken horn and pointed it downwards at Nightmare Moon who continued to look up helplessly.

Luna exchanged a glance with Jessie, who then nodded, turned to the rest of the ponies and said, "I suggest you girls look away now."

* * *

The eight ponies and Jessie had just exited the castle and were making their way to the bridge. Jessie, who was now incredibly tired, was leaning against the right side of Princess Celestia, Princess Luna being quite tired as well, and the other ponies being too small to keep him upright.

"Sorry to make you do this for me princess," Jessie said, "I'm kinda off balance right now."

"I imagine you would be, missing an arm. Do tell, what exactly happened that you arrived here in such a condition?" Princess Celestia asked.

"Well let's see, first I ended up skinning my right hand along the side of a cliff as I went down. Then I got into a fight with this hungry manticore where I got all these cuts. Then I met this serpent who wanted to 'teach' me a lesson about sacrifice so he ate my arm, although maybe he was just hungry, and then I had to cauterize the stump so I wouldn't bleed out, and finally I think I may have shattered my right hand punching the horn off Nightmare Moon."

After they had crossed the bridge, Princess Luna stopped walking, and the group stopped to address her concern. "I… I would like to apologize to everypony here."

"Luna, I already said that it's alright."

"But it's not alright! To me it isn't… Even after my power was taken from me because of the Elements of Harmony, Nightmare Moon still continued to exist because of the feelings I kept within me. Had I confided my feelings to somepony else, perhaps they wouldn't have manifested into the form of Nightmare Moon. I kept saying what Nightmare Moon said were lies, but in fact they were the truth…" Tears started to flow freely from Luna's eyes. "None of this would have happened had I-"

"It's a beautiful night," Jessie interrupted, looking upwards.

"W-what?" Everypony looked to Jessie inquisitively.

"The night," Jessie gestured with his head to the night sky, "it's really beautiful. Did you make it, or Nightmare?"

Luna wiped the tears from her eyes and examined the sky. "It's mine," she said.

"How can you tell?" Jessie asked. He leaned off of Princess Celestia and onto a nearby tree, indicating that he planned to continue talking for a bit.

"I… I just can."

"You put that much effort into it?"

"I do."

Jessie slid down the trunk of the tree until he was sitting on its roots. Everypony, noticing how he decided to make himself comfortable, all laid down on their knees and sat beside or in front of him, forming a circle, and looked up into the sky as well.

"So how exactly does one go about creating the night sky?" Jessie continued.

"First the sun must set, that way the moon may take its place." Luna pointed a hoof at the moon. "That's really all there is to it. Without the sun's luminescence-"

"The sky becomes dark and the stars are then visible, I know that," Jessie interrupted once more, "But you said you put a lot of effort into making the sky, and that you even recognized this sky as yours, there's more that you do right?"

Luna looked at Jessie with an unsure expression before bringing her attention back to the sky. "There are small subtleties that I sometimes create. How bright the stars are, how dark the night actually gets, sometimes I add an aurora or a shooting star to amaze anypony that just so happens to be watching, there are so many things, all small."

"But collectively add up to make a beautiful night," Jessie adjusted his position away from the tree, so that he was lying on his back, looking up at the sky, "like this one."

Luna looked back at him doubtfully. "You're just saying that."

"I mean it," he said, lifting up his head. "It's really beautiful, especially in comparison to the nights where I came from."

A small smile crept up on Luna's face. "I appreciate your words Jessie."

"I got a deal to make with you princess," Jessie stated. Luna raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"Promise me that if every night is as beautiful as this one, I'll promise you that every night that I'm here, I'll spend an hour before I sleep appreciating your work."

"I'd like to make that promise as well," Twilight said, turning to the younger princess.

"Ooh ooh, me too!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"Aw shucks, count me in on this stargazing too," Applejack stated.

"You know what? Me too!" Rainbow Dash chimed in.

"I shall participate as well," Rarity said, bowing her head dramatically.

"And, I as well…" Fluttershy softly added.

"And so will I sister." Celestia finally stated, affectionately wrapping a leg around Luna's shoulders. Luna's tears became joyful as the smile on her face widened. She buried her face within the nape of Celestia's neck.

"Hey now," Jessie spoke up, "I was trying to sound cool but you ponies went ahead and stole my thunder."

A laugh emerged from the group, and the ponies stood up to continue their journey back home. Jessie remained on the ground and Twilight looked down at him. "Um, aren't you going to get up?"

"My right hand's broken and I'm missing an arm, you tell me."

A sheepish smile appeared on Twilight's face. "Oh yeah, that's right, sorry, *Squee*"


	5. Aftermath

**Note from the author: Hey guys, after posting my last chapter, I received the most support I've ever gotten at one time in terms of favorites, follows, and my first reviews, so I figured I couldn't leave you guys hanging any longer than necessary, and got this chapter up. **

**By the way, next week I'll be doing some running crew for a theater performance, so the next chapter could be delayed (it seems I'm always saying the next chapter is going to be delayed D:).  
**

* * *

"Shining Armor, Cadence, I'm so glad you both can make it!" As Shining Armor and Princess Cadence entered the Golden Oak's Library they were suddenly embraced by Twilight. Shining Armor ruffled her mane in a brotherly fashion before the three broke their hug.

"I'd do anything for you sis, now tell me, where's this friend of yours?"

"Yes, we're both quite curious to see this, how you do say it, yew-min?" Princess Cadence enunciated.

"That's right. He's in his bed right now. I put him in a magic induced sleep for the moment. Please, let's go up to the second floor where we could talk." Twilight led her brother and the princess up the flight of stairs to the second floor.

Jessie was lying on the bed in his room, his right forearm draped across his torso, his hand resting on his side. To his side was Tiff, sitting on a stack of books, who examined her brother through mournful eyes. His right hand had been put in a cast and his torso was heavily bandaged. Diagonally across his face, where the manticore had scratched him was now a long, stitched up scar.

When he had come back to Ponyville she was upon him right away, besetting him with questions, curses, and numerous "thank-god-you're-alive"s. Tiff then went back to the human world, appeared in Mindy's apartment, and with Mindy's helped, bought plenty of books related to the human anatomy, the books that Tiff now sits on. For days, Twilight studied the material, acquainting herself with the human physiology in preparation for re-growing Jessie's left arm while Jessie lay in bed, sedated.

Tiff got off of the books, gingerly clambered on to her brother's chest, laid down and curled into a ball. Even in his unconscious condition, Jessie continued to comfort his sister, his chest rocking her to lethargic state, causing her eyelids to grow heavy, before finally closing. As she pendulated upon his chest her thoughts and memories began to rewind. She envisioned Jessie running off towards the Everfree Forest, her meeting with Rainbow Dash, their arrival in Ponyville, her transformation into a pony. She recalled her meeting with the princesses, the hotel room in San Diego, Comic-Con, and Jessie's fight with Jake Nicholson.

Her thoughts continued to travel towards the past until they stopped on one particular memory she can barely remember. She sees and hears a machine that beeps and displays a line that would often spike upwards, connected to a woman lying on a bed in a hospital gown. Tiff's head was lightly bandaged and her hand was clutched by her brother who was a bit younger than he currently is, more adolescent looking, who continued to watch the woman in the hospital bed. The line on the machine flat-lined, emitting a droning screech, a worried look upon her brother's face, people dressed in white and light blue moving in surrounding the woman, her brother carrying her and burying her face into his shoulder. _Tiff. Tiff. Tiff. _

Twilight was whispering softly in Tiff's ears, quietly calling her name while shaking her gently. "Tiff, honey, please wake up." Tiff's eyes opened slowly, and she stared at Twilight blankly. "Mm?"

"Tiff, sweetie, we're about to begin the procedure." Tiff blinked absent-mindedly before fastidiously lowering herself down off Jessie's chest and unto the bedside, then hopping onto the floor. Shining armor and Princess Cadence had just walked in and greeted the blonde filly.

"Why hello there," Princess Cadence said, lowering head so that she may give her hello face to face with Tiff, "you must be the sister." Tiff nodded.

"We're here to help your brother," Shining armor joined in, "he must be very strong to have done so much in his condition."

"He's the strongest," stated Tiff, "nothing can stop him."

"Oh, I agree, don't you sister?" The ponies turned to see the rulers of Equestria walk in through the entrance.

"Why of course I do Luna," Princess Celestia agreed, "never have I seen such conviction in the face of adversity."

The ponies bowed in respect towards the sisters. Princess Celestia walked up to Tiff and stroked her mane reassuringly. "You have no need to worry about your brother; he's in good hooves, or in his case, hands. And with Twilight Sparkle directing the spell, there should be no complications." Celestia then approached Twilight. "Everypony is here now, are you ready?"

"Just about princess," Twilight said confidently. She positioned herself at the foot of Jessie's bed. The sisters flanked him on the left, and the couple went over to his right. "Okay, now let's begin. Everypony rea- what? Tiff, what are you doing?" Surprising Twilight and the other horned ponies, Tiff had placed herself beside Twilight.

"I'm going to help too."

Twilight spoke to Tiff gently. "Tiff, this is going to be an incredibly complicated spell. Even if you're not providing direction it's still going to take a lot of energy just to contribute." Tiff remained quiet, the expression on her face resolute.

"Begin the procedure Twilight, I'm sure your student knows what she's doing," Celestia reassured.

Twilight looked doubtfully at her mentor then down at her student. "Well, okay…" She turned back to Jessie, and her horn began to glow. "Okay everyone, synch up with me."

As everypony's horn also began to glow, Twilight's horn glowed brighter, and she shut her eyes as she began to concentrate. A sparkling aura resonated from Jessie's left arm stump. The bone within the stump began to stretch and grow longer, forming the Humerus. As the bone grew, a small groan escaped from Jessie. Twilight's eyes snapped open upon hearing the sound.

"What was that?" she asked slightly panicked.

"I believe it was the human, Jessie," Princess Cadence answered.

"That's not right; he's supposed to be sedated!"

"The pain must be immense, but we cannot stop now, we must continue on," Princess Celestia suggested. Now worried, Twilight closed her eyes once more and continued the spell. She began forming the joint and the ends of the radius and ulna. Jessie emitted a gasp, but she continued working. As the radius and ulna grew longer, the moans from Jessie grew louder.

"Ahh… haa… AH!" A loud scream escaped from Jessie as Twilight began to form the carpus.

"My brother's hurting!" Tiff cried out.

"Tiff, I understand you're worried, but we have to concentrate," Twilight said, her neck strained as she attempted to hold up the magical energy that exuded from her horn. Twilight had finished forming the metacarpus and phalanges, and was creating the muscles, nerve endings and blood vessels. The burnt ends of the muscles strands and blood vessels were magically cut away with surgical precision, and the wound started bleeding once more. Muscle fibers and ligaments began to magically appear from the bleeding stumps and wrapped themselves around the newly formed naked bones, slowly attaching themselves to each other and the wound.

This process was much slower, and much more painful as the groans grew louder from Jessie. Tears began to fill Tiff's eyes at the sound of her brother's torment. "Twilight!" Tiff called out.

"I know Tiff, but we can't stop otherwise he'll bleed out."

Tiff's tears began to hit the floor as Jessie continued to moan and groan. An idea then popped into her head and she bit her bottom lip, closed her eyes, and redirected the flow of her magical energy. Twilight sensed the shift in magical energy and looked down at Tiff.

"Tiff, what are you doing?"

"Ow…" was Tiff's response.

"Tiff?"

"I recognize the spell she's using," Shining Armor stated, "I've used it on injured comrades frequently. She's redirecting the pain to herself."

"Ahh… ahh… ow…." Tiff sounded off once more. The groans subsided within Jessie, and small groans of pain escaped from Tiff.

"Tiff, you have to stop!"

"Twilight Sparkle, the spell!" asserted Princess Luna. The muscle fibers still continued to wrap around the bones slowly, as did the formation of the veins, arteries, and capillaries. Tiff was now trembling, her knees buckling, but her horn still glowing, still taking in the pain coming from her older brother. She fell to the floor, but her horn continued to glow. Her squeals of pain became much more audible but Twilight continued to work her spell. Small sobs escaped from Tiff and at this point Jessie's eyes fluttered open.

"Hm? What? Tiff? Tiff!" Jessie called out. Jessie raised his head to see Twilight by the foot of his bed. "Twilight! Where's Tiff? I can hear her!"

"She's lying down on the floor," she said, her eyes still shut as she continued to weave the muscle strands around Jessie's bones, "she's using a spell to redirect your pain to herself."

"Well tell her to stop!"

"I tried, but we have to concentrate on fixing your arm."

"Fuck my arm! Tiff! Can you hear me? I'm telling you to stop!"

"No…" was Tiff's reply, "Ah!"

"Tiff!"

"I'm fine… OW!"

"Dammit…" Jessie attempted to get up. Twilight took notice and looked to her right.

"Princess Cadence!"

"I'm on it!" Princess Cadence redirected some of the magic she had been supplying to Twilight, and used it to pin Jessie against the bed.

"Dammit, let me go! Tiff!"

Tiff was no longer responsive as she continued to shriek in pain, yet her magic still continued. Jessie struggled against his magical bonds. "Dammit, I promised her! I promised I'd never hurt her again. Make her stop, please!"

"I'm sorry Jessie, but at this point it's dangerous, any magic we do must be directed at you. Otherwise we might end up messing up one of your blood vessels and you'll bleed out, and I'm sure Tiff wouldn't appreciate that!" Twilight explained.

Jessie placed his head back down and looked up at the ceiling helplessly, listening to his little sister's screams. _Dammit. I'm sorry Tiff. I'm so sorry… _A small ache appeared within his chest and he placed his casted right hand over it. _There's that weight again… _

"GYAAAAH!" An incredibly loud screech was expelled from Tiff, causing Jessie to jerk upwards.

"Tiff! Tiff!" _God dammit what the hell can I do?! _As his mind raced for an answer, the weight within his chest began to churn in turmoil. _What the hell is going inside me? Whatever, it's not important, Tiff is in pain and I… I… _The turmoil within his chest stopped, and the weight began to flow within his lungs filling it up with an unknown energy that wanted to influence his actions._ I… I want to sing. I __**need **__to sing. _Jessie then remembered the lullaby their mother once sang, to him when he was younger and to Tiff before… _before… _

"Matulog ka na bunso…" he sang.

"What is he saying?"

"I don't know."

"Ang ina mo ay malayo…" he continued.

"I'm starting to feel a little sleepy."

"There's magic in his words!"

"At hindi ka masundo…" he went on.

"Since when can he do magic?"

"Is he trying to put us to sleep?"

"Don't listen! The song is not meant for us, it's meant for…" Twilight yawned before she could finish.

"May putik, may balaho…" he finished. Everpony's eyes were drooping down at the end of the lullaby. Tiff, having also heard the words, was now asleep on the ground, her horn no longer glowing, and her screaming having stopped.

"The young one is asleep now," Princess Luna stated.

"Then I guess we can," Shining Armor yawned before continuing, "concentrate on him now."

The operation continued. Jessie was now biting into a rolled up towel brought in by Spike to suppress the noises of pain that could potentially wake Tiff up. Spike had also placed Tiff on the other bed and was now sleeping soundly since the lullaby. The muscles, nerves, and blood vessels within Jessie's arm were finished and all that was left is the skin. This process was the least painful, in fact it was more of a tickle, and took less than a minute. The skin seemed to spontaneously appear and traveled along the length of his arm from the wound all the way to the finger tips. After the skin was finished, Twilight ended the procedure by growing his finger nails to a suitable length and then ending the spell. The ponies around the bed were panting heavily, and the bed was soaked with Jessie's sweat.

Jessie sat up and examined his left arm. The length was correct, but it was skinny and the muscle mass was out of proportion with his right arm, but otherwise worked as it should.

"Thanks everyone, I really appreciate it, I don't know how to pay you all back," Jessie said as he continued to flex, stretch and move his arm.

Princess Celestia acknowledged his thanks with a bow of her head. "Your actions against Nightmare Moon had saved Equestria. Even after restoring your arm we are still in your debt."

"I guess." Jessie grumbled. He walked over the other bed where Tiff picked her up, and cradled her before sitting back onto the bed. The princesses and the royal guard captain all exited the room, leaving Tiff, Jessie, and Twilight.

"I didn't know you could use magic," Twilight said as she approached the bedside where Jessie sat.

"Me neither," Jessie replied, rocking Tiff side to side. Twilight nervously twiddled her hoof on the floor, trying the best way to bring the conversation to the topic she wished to speak of. Jessie noticed her movements and decided to speak up first.

"What is it?" he asked.

"During the operation," Twilight began apprehensively," you said something about not wanting to hurt her 'again'. What did you mean by that?"

"That is…" Jessie hesitated. He wanted to tell Twilight, to build this small amount of intimacy between them, but as he opened his mouth, his mind lost the words, his throat dried, and a silent croak was all he could muster. "I'm sorry Twilight. I can't yet."

Twilight placed a sympathetic hoof on his leg. "It's okay; you don't have to tell me."

Jessie let loose a small chuckle. "I can't tell you, but I want to. And the only thing holding me back is myself. Isn't that weird?"

Twilight couldn't but giggle as well. "A little bit. But if you ever feel like telling somepony, know that you always have my ear."

Jessie smiled at Twilight's offer. "Sure, I appreciate it Twilight."

"No problem. I'm going to go see the princesses and my brother off, you take care okay?" Twilight left the room, leaving Jessie alone with Tiff. Jessie continued to rock Tiff for a while, until a magical sound caught his ear. Suspicious, he placed Tiff onto the bed, and went to the doorway, peeking through a small crevice between the door and the doorway. He spotted a familiar human face, and exited the room to greet the visitor.

"Hey Mindy," he said raising a hand in greetings.

"Oh, Jess, hey! Just came here to drop off a few messages from Chaz." Mindy held up a 1 inch stack of index cards all with messages. "And these are just from the phone calls." She then held up a stack of papers about half an inch thick. "These are the e-mails."

"Four days. I've only been gone for four days, and already he's freaking out." With his right hand casted, Jessie used his left hand to reach for the papers. He then placed it on a nearby table and began to flip through them. "A lot of these seem pretty pointless; I thought I said you can ignore the useless ones."

"How am I supposed to tell? Be grateful I even bothered at all," Mindy said indignantly.

"Yeah. Sorry," Jessie apologized.

A sigh escaped from Mindy as she crossed her arms. "No no, it's alright. I see that you got your left arm back," she pointed at his arm, "it's pretty skinny though."

"Twilight did her best," Jessie said as he flexed his left arm.

"I bet I can beat you in arm wrestle with your arm like that."

"I'm not dumb enough to start that bet."

"Hopefully you can heal up before the fight with Lloyd Block."

"What?!" Jessie began rifling through the papers until he found the corresponding e-mail. "This is in a month! It'll take six to eight weeks just for my right hand to heal, not to mention build up the muscles back in my left arm. Aw geez…" Jessie palmed his face with his left hand.

"Now calm down boxer boy. Things aren't as glum as they seem. You're in Equestria, a world filled with magic. Your left arm grew back, I'm sure there's bound to be a way to speed up your recovery."

Upon hearing Mindy's advice, Jessie took off into a sprint out the doors of the library, leaving Mindy blinking in confusion. Jessie ran through Ponyville, startling many ponies who were still unused to seeing the human.

"Twilight? Hey Twilight!" He called out. He spotted Twilight walking into Ponyville from the outskirts of the town, thought without his glasses he was forced to squint just to make sure, and ran towards her.

Twilight waved to him as he approached. "Hey Jessie! I was just seeing everypony off. What are you in a rush for?"

"My hand… heal… faster… fight in… a month…" he said in between breaths. Twilight raised an eyebrow at his cryptic message.

"Breath Jessie, and tell me again."

"Sorry," Jessie took in a few breaths before continuing, "Is there any way for my right hand to heal faster? I mean you were able to grow my arm back after all."

"That's a little different," Twilight stated, "Yes, growing back your arm is extremely complicated and takes a lot of magical energy, but at the very least we do have the convenience of 'creating' it from 'scratch'. Your body is capable of healing your hand itself, and if we do anything to attempt to accelerate that process, something could go wrong and you might lose use of your hand. Then we'll probably have to cut it off and bring everypony back here to regrow your hand."

"Oh," Jessie said, stunned, "I guess I understand. But is there really nothing we can do?"

"Why do you need to recover so quickly?" she asked.

"In a month I have this fight, and I kinda need my right hand out of this cast by then."

Again, Twilight looked at him skeptically. "I don't get it, you plan fights ahead of time?"

"Oh that's right; I didn't tell you what I did in the human world for a living." Jessie and Twilight began to walk through the town, with Jessie explaining his career.

"You see, I'm a professional boxer and, I make a living-"

"Getting beat up," Twilight completed.

"Er, yes and no. Normally it's me doing the beating up," Jessie said with a cocky smile. Twilight rolled her eyes. "Anyways, I have to show up to this fight, and it's not just about the money. I have to beat him."

"You have a grudge against this guy or something?"

"No, he's just a really good fighter, and if I beat him I could get more recognition. The more recognition I get, the more people will start to take an interest in me, than that leads to promoters taking an interest in me, and then I get to fight even tougher opponents and rise through the ranks. Once I do, I can finally get a shot at the WBO title."

"The championship title I presume?" Twilight asked.

"_A _championship title," Jessie corrected. "There are quite a few organizations but the primary one's are the WBC, WBO, WBA, and the IBF, each with their own belts. That being said, it's possible for someone to hold the championship titles within multiple organizations."

"So there can be a total of four champions in the world?"

"In each weight division, yes."

Twilight stopped walking and looked at Jessie, confused. "What?"

"There are multiple weight divisions in which boxers compete in, and the ultimate goal is to get a title within your own weight division. That being said, it's also possible for fighters to change their weight and compete in different weight divisions and hold titles within different divisions as well."

Twilight blinked at him dumbly before continuing their walk. "That sounds ridiculous."

Jessie shrugged. "The fact that a person can hold titles in multiple weight divisions? Yeah I guess it is. But having weight divisions is still important, that way fights can be fair. It's not like you can expect much sport from a match between a two hundred pounder versus someone who's only one hundred thirty pounds."

"And what division do you compete in?"

"Light heavy-weight, that's between one hundred sixty-eight pounds and one hundred seventy-five."

"Okay and you want your hand fixed right away that way you can fight this guy, win, so you can fight more guys, and win, that way you can fight the best guy, win, and you can be called one of the best within your division?"

"That's right!" Jessie exclaimed. Twilight regarded him suspiciously.

"Why am I sensing there's more to this than you're letting on?" she asked him.

"That is…"

"A story for another time, I get it. You're just full of them aren't you?" she joked.

"There's really only two to tell, both sad. Huh, wait a minute, why are we here?" Jessie stopped walking as he found himself and Twilight at the edge of the Everfree Forest.

"There's a zebra in here that probably has a potion that can help you with your problem," Twilight answered.

"Oh, you mean Zecora?"

"So you know her already, that's good." As Twilight stepped into the forest, Jessie stayed back. Twilight turned and looked at him disapprovingly. "Aren't you coming?"

Jessie shook his head and took a step back. "I lost an arm last time I was in there."

"Don't be such a scaredy-pony. Besides, I could run into a manticore and I might need a handsome and strong human to come in and save me," she teased. She then turned back into the forest and walked in.

"Twilight!" Jessie called out, "Twilight! Ah crap…" Jessie ran in after her. As they walked through the forest, Jessie regarded their surroundings with the utmost care, his eyes darting to and fro, his head swiveling side to side, and his ears picking up the tiniest of sounds and making him jump.

Twilight watched him, amused by his demeanor. "Why are you so jumpy? Didn't you run through here by yourself before?"

A rustle in a bush caused Jessie to leap away, and then two small rabbits appeared from behind it before hopping away. This elicited laughter from the unicorn. "Well pardon me for wanting take off, but that's about all I can do in this situation. My right hand is in a cast, and my left arm is nothing more than a twig."

"You worry too much, look, we're already here."

Jessie recognized the structure within the base of a tree that was Zecora's place of residence. Twilight knocked on the door, which was then answered by the mohawked zebra who.

"Why hello Twilight, and who's this I see? The human I heard all about, could it really be?"

"That's right Zecora, his name is Jessie. We came here to see if you could help him. As you can see his hand is broken." Twilight gently lifted Jessie's right hand.

"For broken bones I may have a cure, but will it work on humans? I'm not so sure." The three of them walked into Zecora's house, and Zecora walked to a far shelf. She picked up a small vial and placed it in Jessie's left hand. "The dosage may seem rather meek, but if all goes as planned, you'll be fixed within a week!" Zecora informed him cheerily. Jessie undid the stopper with his teeth and tossed his head back, drinking the entirety of the vial's contents. A small gag escaped from him.

"Ugh, tasted like tonic water."

"Thank you for the potion Zecora, how could we pay you back?" Twilight asked. Zecora examined Jessie with squinted eyes, and Jessie regarded her warily.

"Um…" he said nervously. Zecora smiled and went over to a nearby set of drawers. She opened the top one and retrieved a pair of scissors, giving it to Jessie.

"I do not need completion of a large task, for a lock of hair is all I ask."

"You sure?" Jessie asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"That's all I ask human, so have no fear, give me your hair and your debt is clear."

"Ooookaaay…" Jessie had Twilight use her magic to manipulate a long and thick lock of hair from the back of his head, which he snipped away, and placed the lock on a nearby table.

"The deed is done, but is there anything else I can do? Because I would also like a vial of blood from you."

"Aw geez."

Twilight and Jessie had left the Everfree forest and were now on their way back home. There was a small bandage on the crook of Jessie's right arm. At Zecora's recommendation, the cast on Jessie's right hand had been removed, and already Jessie had some movement in his fingers, though he still had not regained full use of his hand.

"If she wanted blood, why didn't she just say so in the first place? And what's she even going to do with my hair and blood. Reminds me of all those crazy witch stories my mom used to tell me." Jessie had his hands placed behind his head as he leaned back slightly to look up at the sky while they walked.

"I'm sure she means well," Twilight assured him, "and it's likely she's curious about the human physiology, I should probably send her some of those books Mindy gave us."

"I guess. You know, it's still daylight out," Jessie mentioned, changing the topic, "and it's Thursday, which means I should be doing some work in the library right about now, right?"

Twilight shook her head. "Uh-uh, no way. I'm not going to put you to work so soon. Besides, don't you have to get your left arm ready?"

"Yeah, I'll probably work it out for an hour or two, but otherwise that still leaves the rest of the day. C'mon Twilight, I'm bored, I've been in bed for three days, and the only time I've been out of bed is when you used your magic to lift me out of the library to look up at the night sky like we promised Luna. Even then, you put me to sleep after five minutes and I'm back on the bed. Give me something to do pleeeaaase," he begged, trying to replicate the look Tiff quite often gives him.

Twilight, a little disturbed by his expression, looked away. "Fine, but nothing too intensive."

"It's a library, how intensive can things get?"

* * *

**KABOOM!** A small explosion occurred on top of the table in which Twilight and Jessie were conducting their experiment. Twilight had just added water to some substance within a vial which was then followed by the explosion, leaving Jessie and Twilight comically coated in a black powder.

"Twilight, what did you do?" Jessie asked, turning to Twilight as he wiped the powder off his eyes.

"All I did was add some water to liquefied dragon's breath," she said, picking up some of the fallen lab materials.

"Just what kind of substance is this liquefied dragon's breath?"

"Hm? Um, acidic I guess."

"Acidic?" Jessie clarified.

"Yes."

"And you added water to it?"

"That's right."

Jessie groaned and buried his face within his hands. "Twilight, you're smart, but to not know something so elementary…"

"Excuse me?" She asked skeptically. Jessie prepared another sample of the liquefied dragon's breath and a beaker of water, this time pouring the dragon's breath into the water. Twilight braced herself for another explosion but was surprised when nothing more than a bubbling reaction occurred.

"Acid to water Twilight, not the other way around," he explained with a grin. He slid the beaker containing the solution to Twilight who began observing the reaction while writing down notes using her magic with a quill on a nearby piece of parchment.

"How'd you know about that acid to water thing?" Twilight asked as she continued to examine the beaker.

Jessie got up and began to look over her equations on her chalkboard that was right behind them. "I had AP chemistry in high school, though I'm pretty sure they would have told regular chemistry students the same thing." Jessie then reached for the chalkboard eraser.

"AP?" she asked.

"Advanced Placement. You can get college credit while you're still in high school. Actually now that I think about it," Jessie placed his index finger and thumb from his free hand on his chin in thought, "I probably would have entered college with about a semester's worth of general education credit with all the AP classes I took. I'd probably have my degree by now."

"Wow, Jessie," Twilight turned to face Jessie, "you're- what're you doing with that eraser?"

"I was just going to rewrite this equation you have up here, make it smaller that way you can fit the rest of it on here."

"The rest of it?"

Jessie then erased the equation, creating a small chalk cloud. He then dropped the eraser, picked up a piece of chalk by the board, and scribbled out the equation in the corner of the board. "Actually, while I'm up here, I may as well finish it for you."

"Finish it?"

He struck the board with the chalk efficiently, continuing the equation. Twilight watched in awe as the equation grew longer and neared completion. By the time he ran out of space, the equation was finished, the piece of chalk was nothing more than a stub, and his finger was heavily coated in chalk dust.

"There we go, all done. Oh wait, I should probably point out that at this point I converted it from Fahrenheit to Celsius, that way we can get those nice round even numbers in the end. Actually, I think I should probably simplify this formula as well, no need to write it all out since it's pretty obvious anyways, and I should…"

Jessie was engulfed in cloud of chalk dust as he erased the board once more and furiously began his conversions, simplifications, and rewrites. "That should do it. Well, maybe I should also-"

"Oh no, you've done enough!" Twilight stopped him, taking the little thimble of chalk that was left, clutched between his index finger and thumb. Twilight walked up beside him. "Thank you though," she looked over his work and her jaw dropped, "Jessie, this is amazing. I had no idea you were so smart."

"Yeah, well, you know, Asian that way I guess, well half Asian that is."

"I'm sorry?"

"Never mind, human joke." Jessie patted his hands together, creating a small chalk cloud, before taking a seat back by the table, examining the contents of the beaker. "So, liquefied dragon breath, what exactly is it and why are we playing around with it?"

Twilight's horn glowed, and a stirring rod came from the shelf, landing in the beaker. She then stirred the solution, which made it emit a small vapor. "We call it liquid dragon breath, but it's really what allows dragons to breathe fire. This sample was actually taken from Spike who for some reason had regurgitated some of it. We ponies don't know much about dragon's so we don't know why Spike has started to discharge this substance, though I hypothesize that it's a process undergone when a dragon reaches adolescence since there doesn't seem to be any negative effects."

Twilight stopped stirring and made more notes on her parchment. "As for why we're messing around with it, just trying to determine its properties. Perhaps even find some practical applications for it."

"Fuel maybe?" Jessie suggested, picking up a vial and swiveling its contents around as he looked over it. "Small quantities seem to be highly combustible when reacting with water alone."

"Sounds like a good idea." Twilight pushed the solution away from her and turned to Jessie with a look of concern. Jessie noticed and placed the vial back down, looking back at Twilight.

"Something bugging you, Twi?"

"About what happened this morning, when you started singing..."

"Oh, the language I was-"

"Not the language," Twilight interrupted, "although I am curious about that too. But what I want to know is why you were able to cast magic, and if you knew, for how long?"

Jessie pursed his lips as he tried to come up with an explanation. He crossed his arms and sat cross –legged on the floor. "Well, I'm not really sure I can say I knew for any period of time. I had a feeling I was capable of doing _something _though I didn't know it was magic until somebody, or should I say, somepony, said it was magic during the operation."

"And how long did you know you can do it?" she asked.

Jessie scratched a cheek with his index finger. "Well, when I first got here and you left to go to Sugar Cube Corner, I noticed that there was this weight on my chest. I kinda panicked because it was pretty weird and when I reached for the doors at the main entrance, they blasted open."

"That explains why the hinges feel loose."

"Yeah, sorry about that, I was gonna tell you, but then the party got me distracted."

"Was that the only time you used magic?" Twilight continued.

"Um," Jessie rubbed the back of his head, "I'm not entirely sure it was me but after that serpent ate my arm in the Everfree Forest, I started to black out. Then I had these weird dreams about being warm and fire, and then I woke up and found that the forest around me was on fire."

"I see," Twilight turned back to the solution in the beaker, "well, we're just about done here. You have the rest of the day off."

"Woopie doo," Jessie said sarcastically. "Don't suppose there are any weights anywhere that I can lift?"

Twilight pointed at the corner, directing him at a dumbbell Spike received for his birthday from Rainbow Dash. Jessie walked up to the dumbbell and examined the number imprinted on the side.

"Ten pounds doesn't seem very…" As Jessie attempted to pick up the dumbbell with his left hand, he found himself struggling to lift it up. "Ah crap, I forgot, skinny arm. This is perfect." Jessie pulled up a chair and began to do bicep curls with the dumbbell. "Stupid serpent and his stupid lesson and his stupid face and his stupid…" Jessie continued to grumble about the serpent as he continued his work out.

* * *

"So the human is capable of doing magic," said Princess Luna as she walked into Princess Celestia's room. Celestia was looking out her window, examining the night sky.

"You've really outdone yourself this time Luna," Celestia said, "You truly are the Princess of the Night."

Princess Luna bowed her head in thanks. "Your compliment is most welcome and much appreciated sister, but back to the topic of Jessie…"

"Ah yes, he seems very capable, does he not?" Celestia asked, turning from the window to address her younger sister.

"Very capable indeed," Luna agreed, "to defeat Nightmare Moon in one blow. More so because of the magic he seems to have access now as well. You wouldn't happen to know as to how he received such a gift?"

Princess Celestia smiled at her sister. "Something tells me you already know that answer to that, Luna."

"Perhaps I do," Luna approached Celestia, "and I'm curious as to how you did it without notice."

"With the utmost subtlety, Luna. As we transformed his sister, I directed the smallest amount of magic towards him and implanted a seed. Anything more and he would have noticed."

"But why keep it a secret from him if he'll discover his powers anyways?" Luna asked. Again, Celestia gave Luna her all-knowing smile.

"This is a special kind of magic, one with special requirements. If I were to inform him I was giving him such abilities, he would no doubt try to figure out the conditions in which his abilities gain power. Then he may even try to replicate these conditions under false pretenses, which will render his abilities weak and incapable, being nothing more than a shell of what they could have been."

"I still don't understand sister," Luna said, giving her older a sister a frown, "Just how does the seed within him grow? Exactly what conditions do you not want him to replicate under false pretenses?"

"Love, dear sister, love." Celestia then began to walk out her room, with Luna following closely behind. They walked down the hall that led to where the Elements of Harmony were kept, and Princess Celestia stopped in front of a stained glass window, depicting Shining Armor and Princess Cadence, their horns crossed and casting a spell that defeated Queen Chrysalis and her changeling army.

"During the battle with Queen Chrysalis, we have been shown a form of magic much more powerful than the Elements of Harmony. Just as the Elements of Harmony are powered by the qualities of friendship, this form of magic is powered by love. In fact, you could say this magic is love itself," Princess Celestia went on.

"And how do you intend for enough love to reach him, so that his powers can come into full fruition?"

"He holds a very intense brotherly love for his sister; we have seen that this morning."

Princess Luna regarded her older sister doubtfully. "It's true I suppose, but will that alone be enough?"

"Maybe it would be, maybe it wouldn't. In any case I've made arrangements, just to be safe."

"Arrangements?" Luna asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well no matter, moving on, what is the purpose of giving him magic? The very reason he's here is because humans are immune to each other's magic," Princess Luna pressed on.

"They're immune to each other's, but not their own," Celestia explained, "No doubt during the final confrontation, Baade will find other creative uses for his magic rather than throwing fireballs at us. It's important that it does not become an advantage he solely possesses."

Luna lowered her head humbly, accepting the answer, and raised her head back again to continue speaking. "Speaking of Baade, while I do sense his presence here in Equestria, his power has felt relatively the same since the battle in the badlands. I do not believe his power is growing as the days pass by, perhaps he is playing us false?"

"No, Luna," Celestia disagreed, "what reason will he have to bluff? I do not think his power will grow every day for a year, until he grows ten times more powerful as he claims. Rather, I believe that within a year, he will have find the power he's looking for, as it travels across Equestria's sky."

"You don't mean…"

"I do."

"But how could he have found out about?" Luna asked, panicked. "It has been put in its astrological orbit centuries after he's been imprisoned."

"It's possible he may have heard word about it prior to arriving here in Equestria, Luna."

"Then what can we do?"

"We wait, and we make sure that we act faster than he does."

* * *

The day has darkened, the sun giving way to the moon. As the residents of Ponyville all checked in for the night, seven ponies, a dragon, and a human all walked out of their respective homes, and gathered on a hill. Tiff was once again riding on Spike's back, with Jessie and Twilight walking alongside. Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy were all up on the hill, watching the four approach them.

"Hey everypony! Jessie, I see you got your arm back!" Pinkie bounded towards Jessie and Gave his arm a light punch with her hoof, causing him to cringe.

"Owowow, Pinkie, please don't do that, it's really sore after the work out I just gave it."

"Why is it so skinny?" Rainbow dash asked, flying in and looking at his arm.

"Muscle development has to occur naturally," Twilight explained, "that way the muscles can conform into ideal shapes depending on how the user moves them."

"Besides, that would be cheating," Jessie added, laying down onto the grass and looking up into the sky. Tiff jumped off of Spike's back and onto Jessie's belly, knocking the wind out of him. The other ponies also took their place on the grass and looked up at the sky.

"You know, if we think about things from an astrological point of view, my world and this world can't be too far away from each other," Jessie spoke up.

"How do you figure that?" Applejack asked.

To answer, Jessie pointed up at the sky. "The constellation, Orion, I'm sure you all recognize it."

"You're not pointing at Orion, Jessie," Twilight stated.

"Ah crud, ,can't see without my glasses, Twilight point at for me, will you?" Twilight obliged and directed a hoof at the constellation. "Well, where I come from, we can see Orion just like this, exactly like this. So even though our worlds are impossible to travel to through non-magical means, from a cosmic perspective, we're just right next to each other." Jessie lowered his hand and placed it behind his head.

"Such a beautiful thought," Fluttershy softly said. Everyone else sounded in agreement.

"I guess that would explain how Star Swirl found the human world so quickly," said Twilight.

"Speaking of Star Swirl," Rarity chimed, "Twilight, didn't you mention something about his comet? Wouldn't it be coming by within a year?"

"That's right!" Twilight confirmed, excited. Jessie looked to Twilight.

"Star Swirl has a comet named after him?" he asked.

"Actually, the comet was made in his honor," Twilight corrected. "After he had passed away, his body turned to dust and left behind a crystal of condensed magic. According to the legend, two royal sisters, which at this point I guess we can safely surmise to be Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, then used the crystal to create a comet that will traverse the solar system, making a complete journey around the system once every ten years."

"And," Pinkie Pie continued, "It's been said that whenever it soar's across Equestria's sky, two ponies who deny that they're in love with each other will drop their ruse, and get together!"

"That sounds incredibly random."

"Pinkie Pie, that's not true!" Twilight scolded.

"It's not? I could have sworn…"


	6. Apex Predator

**Note from the author: Changed the secondary genre of the story from romance to friendship. I do intend romance to still be in the story, but that's a long ways from now, and even then, it may not be a very prominent theme.**

* * *

"Better or worse?" Dr. Stable asked Jessie, flipping through one of the settings in the phoropter. Jessie was sitting on a stool and was leaning slightly forward, pressing his face against the optometric device. They were in the Ponyville hospital, the ocular ward, where Jessie was getting his prescription, administered by Dr. Stable, with Rainbow Dash sitting on a nearby couch, her fore legs crossed as she impatiently tapped the floor with a bottom hoof.

"Better," Jessie replied. Rainbow Dash started tapping her foot faster, and Jessie, who was now evidently distracted, pulled away from the phoropter to address Rainbow Dash. "You know, distracting us isn't going to make the process go by faster."

"But it's been forever!" she whined, her fore legs extending outwards pleadingly.

"It's been two minutes!"

"Ahem," Dr. Stable cleared his throat.

"Sorry doc." Jessie pressed his face against the phoropter and looked into the device once more. The doctor flipped through several more settings and asked Jessie repeatedly whether what he was seeing was better or worse as Rainbow Dash started to fidget on the couch. After a few more minutes, Dr. Stable pulled the device away and Jessie got off the stool.

"Okay, I have your prescription, now pick a frame here and your glasses should be ready in an hour," the doctor informed Jessie, handing him a catalog.

"One more _hour_?" Rainbow Dash repeated in aghast.

Jessie shrugged. "Well what can you do? It's not like I can see your tricks flying that high in the sky. I'm going need those glasses. Here, help me pick a frame," Jessie handed Rainbow Dash the catalog who then took it, and scanned the selections.

"I dunno," she said, "they all look pretty nerdy to me." Unable to make a choice, she handed the catalog back to Jessie. Jessie took a quick look through the catalog, directed a finger at a pair he liked and showed Dr. Stable.

"Ah, excellent choice, well then, come back in an hour and we should be finished." Dr. Stable took back the catalog and Jessie and Rainbow Dash left the ward.

"What are we supposed to do for an entire hour?" Rainbow Dash complained as they walked out of the hospital.

Jessie took a quick glance at the Ponyville clock tower. "Brunch?"

"Isn't that a couple's thing?" she retorted.

"I like to think of it as a food thing," he countered, "besides it's on me."

Rainbow Dash placed a hoof at her chin in thought. "Weeeell, I do like free food. Okay, let's eat!"

Within minutes they were sitting at a table outside the café, their menus and glasses of water in front of them, waiting for the waiter to come and attend them. Rainbow Dash was looking around nervously and made vain attempts to conceal herself as they waited. Jessie, with an eyebrow raised, was watching her with an amused expression.

"What're you so fidgety for?" he asked, before raising his glass to his lips and taking a sip of water.

"I'm making sure nopony we know sees us, I don't want anypony thinking we're on a," Rainbow Dash swallowed hard, "a _date_."

Jessie, now bemused, lowered his glass and wiped his upper lip. "A date? Just because it's brunch? Besides, what's wrong with having a date with me?"

"Sssshhh ," she hissed, raising a hoof to her mouth in a gesture for silence, "there's nothing wrong. I just don't do dates, okay?"

"May I take your orders sir and ma'am?" The waiter's sudden appearance had caused Rainbow Dash to jump from her seat. "I do apologize for startling your date sir."

"That's alright," Jessie assured.

"We're not on a date!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

The waiter regarded her with a passive expression. "Quite. Your order madam?"

Rainbow Dash glared at the waiter before looking into the menu. "I'll have the daisy and daffodil sandwich, extra daisies."

"And you sir?" The waiter asked, turning to Jessie.

Jessie perused the menu, the corners of his mouth pointing downwards in distaste. "I'll… Um… How's the spinach served?"

"On a plate sir."

"Are you always sarcastic towards your customers?" Jessie asked, a little peeved.

"I meant no sarcasm sir, but how else shall we serve the spinach?"

"You're right," Jessie agreed, frowning and handing the menus back to the waiter, "how else…"

"I take it you're ordering the spinach then sir?"

"Yeah."

"Your meals will be ready soon." The waiter bowed his head and walked into the café. Rainbow Dash resumed her constant surveillance and her futile attempts to hide her prominent features.

"There's really no point trying to hide Rainbow," Jessie advised before finishing his glass of water, "you're the only rainbow-colored pony around, you're only making yourself look like an idiot." Rainbow Dash heeded his advice and slouched nervously, her eyes still darting side to side watching out for anypony she knew.

Jessie rolled his eyes at her actions. "Calm down Rainbow Dash, no one is going to think we're on a date, we're of an entirely different species."

"That doesn't stop Spike from trying to woo Rarity," she argued.

"Someone mention us?" A familiar well-articulated voice said. Once more, Rainbow Dash had leaped from her seat in surprise as Rarity and Spike approached them from behind. On Spike's back was a large wooden box filled to the brim with gem stones. "So Jessie and Rainbow Dash are having brunch together," as Rarity stated this fact she suddenly gasped, " _Brunch_. _Together_. Oh my, Rainbow Dash, are you two on a _date?_" Rarity asked gleefully.

Rainbow Dash looked at Jessie with a peeved expression that said, "I told you so." Jessie merely shrugged and addressed Rarity.

"Pretty much, why don't you guys join us and we'll make it a double date?" At this point Rainbow Dash had picked up her cup and splashed Jessie's face with the contents.

"We are _not _on a date," Rainbow Dash said affirmably.

"Such a shame, I was hoping Rainbow Dash had finally opened up to her feminine side. Well, Spike and I shan't take up any more of your time, come along now dear Spike." Rarity trotted off with Spike following closely by. As Spike walked by Jessie, Spiked yawned and like before, a metallic aroma filled Jessie's nostrils.

_ That smell again, _Jessie thought to himself. The waiter had then placed their meals in front of them, and Rainbow Dash took no time it starting as she gladly held her sandwich and bit into it. Jessie daintily handled his spinach with his fork and ate slowly with a sullen expression.

"Yu dun sem bery happeh," Rainbow Dash pointed out, her mouth filled with food. Jessie shook his head. He raised a bit of spinach to his mouth and placed it in his mouth and chewed it slowly, then swallowed it, gagging as it slid down his throat.

"Ugh, I hate spinach."

Now it was Rainbow Dash's turn to regard his actions skeptically. "Then why are you eating it?"

"Protein," he answered before swallowing another small bite, "helps with muscle development," he raised his skinny left arm for emphasis.

"There's nothing else you can eat?" she asked.

"Well, I guess there's also eggs, nuts, beans…" _And meat!_

_ Shut up brain! You promised me you won't think about that._

_ Meat, meaty meaty meat meat!_

_ Shut up, I'm having spinach._

_ You haven't had any meat since you came here, you know you want some._

_ I will kill you. _

_ Good luck with that. By the way, did I mention meat?_

_ You're a jerk, brain._

_ Meeaaat meeaaat._

_ Don't use the Jaws theme like that._

_ Meeaat meeaat._

_ Don't do it._

_ Meat meat meat meat meat meat meat meat meatmeatmeatmeatmeatmeatmeat meatmeatmeatmeaaaaat._

"Dammit!" Jessie slapped his hands on his head and clutched his hair. Realizing his sudden and bizarre action, he looked up to see Rainbow Dash looking back with a blank stare. She blinked once and went back to eating her sandwich. Embarrassed, Jessie allowed his thoughts to wonder so he wouldn't have to think about his meal. His mind drifted to the metallic scent that emanated from Spike's breath.

_Why is that smell so familiar? _He thought to himself. As he continued eating, he had somehow lost track of where his head was positioned and how the fork entered his mouth, and had inadvertently stabbed his gum.

"Ah crud," he sounded, turning to the side and spitting out a small amount of blood.

"Maybe you should stop eating spinach," Rainbow Dash suggested, "I think it's doing something to your head."

Jessie let loose a wry chuckle. "Heh, maybe." He used his tongue to feel the wound, and once more, a metallic aroma filled his sinuses. _It's that same smell coming from Spike!_

_Took you long enough to think it was blood, huh?_

_I thought you were done talking, brain. Anyways, why does Spike smell like blood? Could it be the acid he's regurgitating is damaging the tissues within his mouth?_

_Really? _That's _what you come up with? He's a dragon capable of taking lava baths and crunching gems in his mouth, it's doubtful that a substance from his own body is capable of hurting him. _

_Then what do you think it is?_

_Think dummy, he's big, he's buff, he must be doing a lot of _exercise _and consuming large amounts of _protein_. We never actually see him eating a meal. Do you get it now?_

_Yeah yeah, I get it. _Jessie spat out more blood to the side and continued on with his meal.

After brunch, Jessie and Rainbow Dash had picked up his glasses and were now on the outskirts of Ponyville, near the Everfree Forest. Jessie sat down on the ground and leaned back, using his arms to support himself, as he looked into the sky and watched Rainbow Dash go through dramatic motions of aeronautical expertise. At one point Rainbow Dash had whirled around a cloud, causing it to spin around quickly, then she barreled through the center, and with the added spinning, caused the cloud to disperse in a ripple-like manner. When Rainbow Dash had finished she flew in towards Jessie dramatically and skidded along the ground, stopping centimeters away from Jessie.

"Oh yeah! How was that?"

Jessie applauded her. "Not bad at all R-D. I like what you did with the cloud, but when you were spelling out your name I felt it took too long."

"What do you mean?" she asked, wiping off the dirt off her hooves.

"Well, whenever you're about to do a trick, half of the amazement is wondering what you will do. When you take too long in execution, the crowd already knows what you're doing by then and you lose their attention as they wait for you to finish and go on to your next trick. Maybe instead of spelling out your whole name, try just your initials, less is more, you know?" Jessie suggested.

"Hmm," Rainbow Dash pursed her lips and looked upwards in thought, "that's true. The Wonderbolts never did spend too much time on a single trick. I'll take that under advisement, thanks!" Rainbow Dash then walked past him and gave him a playful punch on his left arm, making him cringe slightly.

"Owch. So I take it we're done here?" Jessie asked, gingerly rubbing his arm.

Rainbow Dash nodded. "Pretty much." As she was about to take off Jessie lightly took hold of her tail.

"I don't suppose you would know where Spike would be around this time, would you?" Rainbow Dash shook her head and Jessie let her go. "Crud," Jessie said to himself. As Jessie was about to turn away from the forest, he felt a low rumble coming from his right. He turned in that direction and spotted a large purple, scaled mass entering the forest. "Well that was convenient." Jessie then ran after the dragon.

Spike walked through the forest crouched on all fours. His tongue slithered out of his mouth, tasting the air as his nostrils flared, doing his best to pick up any scent. His eyes darted all over the place, picking up slight rustles in the bush, falling leaves, and any unnatural movements. The sound of a twig snapping from behind him caused Spike to momentarily freeze. Within a second he whirled around.

"Who's there!?" he challenged, his deep voice echoing throughout the forest. To his surprise, there was no one in sight. Still a little wary, Spike turned back to his original direction and pulled his large head back in astonishment as he saw Jessie, his arms crossed, leaning against a tree.

"Pretty jumpy for a dragon," Jessie said, uncrossing his arms and approaching Spike. "But I guess that'll come in handy in here, never know what can sneak up on you in the Everfree Forest."

"Um, hey Jess, what're you doing here?" Spike asked, emitting a timid chuckle and portraying a shaky smile. Jessie, somewhat entertained by Spike's expression, turned away so he could hide his smile.

"Oh you know," Jessie answered, "just wondering what you're doing in here."

"Uh, just um, getting some materials for Twilight," Spike said unconvincingly. Jessie turned back towards Spike after regaining control of his face.

"Are you a teenage dragon Spike?" Jessie asked, looking Spike in the eye.

"Not yet," Spike responded, "I can't even fly yet, my wings are too thin."

"Yet you're so large, the amount of muscle you have is amazing," Jessie went. Jessie had his fingers laced behind his back and he walked around Spike, examining him. "You must work out a lot."

"Um yeah I do."

"I never seen you do any exercises," Jessie said, shooting down Spike's statement. "You must also eat a lot of protein to support this muscle growth."

"Th-that's right," Spike stuttered, shyly trying to inch away from Jessie as he continued to examine him.

"Haven't seen you eat any spinach, yuck, that horrible blob of green. Or nuts, or eggs, actually, I've never seen you sit down and have a meal for that matter either," Jessie continued.

"Well that's because…"

"You're busy?" Jessie completed.

Spike was quick to agree as he nodded furiously. "That's right!"

"Yet you claim to work out…" Jessie's analysis continued. "So how in the world can you get a work out, while still be able to eat and consume vast amounts of protein?" Jessie stopped his pacing and stood in front of Spike. "I just can't think of anything…"

"Me neither, you know what, let's just get out, Twilight must be-"

"Unless," Jessie interrupted, pointing a finger at Spike, "you hunt. Which would explain why your breath smells like blood all the time, and why you're here in the Everfree forest now, am I wrong?"

"Sssshhh!" Spike shushed, holding a finger vertically across his draconic mouth. "Okay you got me," Spike spoke softly, "but please, please don't tell anypony. Especially Fluttershy, she'll be so heartbroken if she found out I've been eating animals."

Jessie leaned in towards Spike and spoke softly as well. "I promise I'll keep your secret, as long as," Jessie paused and looked over his shoulder before turning back to Spike, "as long as you let me hunt alongside you."

"Excuse me?" Spike asked, perplexed. Dramatically, Jessie grabbed Spike by his incredibly broad shoulders, and looked him face to face.

"I. Need. Meat."

_Damn right you do._

_Shut up brain. _

"Uh, okay," Spike said, finally agreeing but still unsure and slightly disturbed by Jessie's action and choice of words. Jessie, with a smile, patted Spike's shoulder.

"Great! Now, where do we start?"

Spike gestured ahead. "I've been tracking this huge Manticore for a while. I usually wouldn't go after animals that big but this one…" Spike paused for a bit, glaring down at the ground. "This one's different." Jessie sensed a hint of vehemence behind Spike's words.

"Are you okay Spike? You're burning a hole into the ground." As Spike looked at the ground, an acidic substance began to secrete from his mouth and drip off his chin. As the substance made contact with the ground, it would burn the area it came into contact with. Spike's eyes widened and he quickly wiped the secretion away from his mouth and stamped out the small flames that appeared on the ground.

"Sorry about that," Spike apologized. "I don't really know what that stuff is."

"Twilight called it liquefied dragon breath," Jessie stated, "She theorizes that it's the substance within dragons that allows them to breathe fire. But anyways, back to the manticore, why're you so intent on getting this animal?"

Spike looked away and scratched his cheek sheepishly. "I don't really know. I've seen him hunt and I think that I can do better. Or something. I dunno. It's like he's always challenging me, and sometimes we come across each other in here and it's just… I can't describe it, sounds stupid huh?"

"Actually it makes all the sense in the world," Jessie said, lightly patting him on the shoulder," Now lead on, I'll explain it to you as we walk, I'm dying to eat some meat already."

As Spike and Jessie trekked through the forest, Jessie explained the relationship Spike had with the manticore.

"A rivalry? Is that all?" Spike asked. A squirrel nearby on a tree made a noise, and out of the corner of his mouth Spike shot a small flame at it, engulfing it in fire. The squirrel then fell lifeless unto the ground and Jessie picked up and slung it over his shoulder with the rest of their kills. Aside from the squirrel Spike just caught, there was a rabbit Jessie had struck with a well-thrown rock, and a pheasant that was caught with Spike's claw.

Jessie nodded. "Essentially yes, but it's a bit more primal than that. You two are the top predators of this forest. It's not just a competition for food, surely there's enough animals in here for the both of you, but it's also a competition as to who's the best, who's _the _apex predator, and who gets to claim this forest as their own."

"That's really… depressing. I don't like to think of myself as an animal."

"That's alright bud," Jessie reassured Spike, "You're not much more of an animal than I am."

As the two continued walking Spike's head started to swivel around swiftly as he searched the area. "This isn't right… He's normally around here." A ferocious roar caught their ears and they immediately turned in the direction it came from.

"That's him!" Spike called out.

"Sounds like he's having trouble," Jessie said. Spike then took off on all fours, taking incredibly long strides and leaving Jessie behind. "Ah crap, Spike! Wait up!"

Spike ran through the forest, dodging trees and jumping over fallen lumber, with Jessie struggling to keep up behind him. The two reached a clearing and stopped. Jessie was bent over; his hands on his knees as he sucked in air greedily.

"Over there!" Spike pointed out, pointing off into the distance. Jessie peered at the horizon and saw what Spike was pointing at. It was mortal combat between two dragons, both slightly larger than Spike, and a manticore that Jessie estimated to be twice the size as the one he fought himself during Nightmare Moon's reappearance. One of the dragons was red, and while larger than Spike, the muscle mass was smaller. He had orange-yellow spikes that formed into a webbed fin at the top of his head and his tail was adorned with a similarly colored spike at the end. Each of his large wings had a small hole, thought it didn't seem to affect his ability to fly as he would occasionally take off into the air to fire a jet of flame at the manticore.

The other dragon was brown, had a prominent under bite, and rather than spikes, had two bluish-grey horns that adorned the temples of his head. He was rather bulky, he practically had no neck, and his body was incredibly thick. His wings were rather diminutive and the end of his tail was shaped similar to that of a morning star, which he would swing at the manticore very often.

"Aren't those two the teenage dragons from before?"

"That's right," Spike answered, glaring daggers at the combatants.

"Did they get-"

"Bigger? Looks like it." The both of them continued to watch the spectacle until the red dragon had successfully broke one of the manticore's wings and pinned it to the ground. The brown one then stood over the manticore's head, his mace-like tail raised high. Spike craned his neck and pointed his head upwards in a vicious roar, catching the attention of the two dragons.

"What the heck?! Spike! What are you doing?!" Jessie asked frantically, his hands over his ears after hearing Spike's deafening roar.

A growl started to rumble within Spike's throat, and Jessie could feel it reverberate within his body. "If anyone is going to kill that manticore, it's me!" Spike once again took off on all fours, charging towards the dragons who seemed to await him eagerly.

"Spike! Ah crud, not again."

Spike now stood before the two dragons who were awaiting his arrival. The brown dragon sat on the manticore, keeping it pinned to the ground. As Jessie arrived by Spike's side, he looked up in reverence of the size of the dragons. While they were only a quarter of the size of a full grown dragon, they were bigger than Spike, and Jessie was frozen on the spot, the iciness of fear creeping up his legs and holding him down.

"This purple dragon looks extremely familiar, doesn't he, Butch?" The red dragon asked the brown dragon. Butch leaned forward and squinted at Spike who scowled back at the bulkier dragon.

"I think he's Spike, Garble," Butch stated, "the pony-loving dragon. Isn't Ponyville near here?"

This time Garble leaned in closer to look at Spike. "Could be. Tell me are you Spike?"

"What if I am?" Spike bravely counter-asked. The intensity of Spike's words had "melted" Jessie's frozen state, and Jessie, for some odd reason, found himself inching closer to Spike. Grumble then looked at Butch and shook his head. "Can't be him, that little sorry excuse for a dragon wasn't as feisty as this."

Grumble then turned his attention to Jessie, and examined him with an inquisitive eye. "And what the heck is this?" He pointed at Jessie.

"It looks like a hairless monkey," Butch began, "a hairless monkey in clothing."

The liquefied dragon breath once again began to ooze from Spike's mouth, and when the two dragons took notice, they burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Spike asked, wiping the substance away with the back of his arm, and flicking the excess unto the grass, causing the ground to smoke lightly. Grumble and Butch continued laughing for a moment before answering Spike's question.

"Some dragon hasn't been breathing enough fire." Grumble wiped a tear from his eye as he started to settle down.

"What?"

"You're leaking fuel," Butch continued, "because you have too much of it in your body. You have to breathe fire a lot so all the extra fuel doesn't stat leaking outta you. Duh, any dragon should know that."

"Like this?" Spike then shot out a long stream of fire that had engulfed both dragons' heads. When the stream was over, both their faces were blackened, but otherwise they were still standing, the flame not seeming to do any damage.

"Huh, not bad," Grumble said, wiping off a bit of soot from his eyes, "that was pretty intense."

"How about this!" Spike shot out another flame, and Jessie could feel heal from where he stood. The dragons noticed the difference between this flame and the last, and dodged sideways. Butch was forced to get off the manticore, which then ran back into the forest.

Grumble looked at Spike furiously. "Hey! You shouldn't be playing with that kinda fire!"

"I wasn't playing." Spike's statement sent a shiver down Jessie's spine.

"Our food got away…" Butch said sadly, looking down on the ground with a frown.

"Not _your _food," Spike corrected, "_Mine. _He's _my_ prey."

Grumble moved in closer to Spike and looked at him face to face. "Cocky little brat, aren't you? What's your name?"

Spike looked back defiantly and snorted a tuff of smoke at Grumble. "The name's Spike."

Bemused, Grumble moved his head back. "Seriously?" Spike snorted once more in reply.

"Isn't he a little bit big? He's bigger than us when we first met him," Butch pointed out.

"No it makes sense. With an entire forest to himself it's no wonder he managed to grow big and strong. Oh wait a minute! That's why you live in Ponyville, because you get to hunt here! What a genius idea Spike, I guess you really are a real dragon." Grumble had an arm wrapped around Spike's shoulders and was about to give him a playful noogie when Spike suddenly shoved him away.

"Don't get all buddy-buddy with me. Now both of you get outta here!"

"Oh yeah? Who's gonna make us?" Butch and Grumble stepped closer to Spike challengingly and Jessie leaned in towards Spike.

"Spike," he whispered, "You should really calm down now. I don't think we stand much of a chance." Unfortunately, Spike couldn't hear him as he continued to stare down the older dragons, his growling now much louder. Spike's claws were dug into the ground and Jessie could feel a violent heat radiating from Spike.

_Dammit Spike. _

Spike shot another stream of fire, this one much hotter that the last two combined. The two dragons jumped away once more, and took off into the air. Butch swooped low, and aimed his tail at Spike. Spike ducked under the strike, but was then caught off guard as a large ball of fire fired by Grumble encapsulated him. Spike's spines and scales were slightly burnt, and he gave off a slightly roasted smell. The dragons' unmerciful assault continued as they continued to attack him from the sky, firing balls of fire, swiping at him with their tails, or raking him with their claws.

Grumble looked down at his opponent with a condescending sneer. "Ha! Looks like poor widdle Spikey Wikey can't fly yet."

"Haha! Useless wings," Butch teased.

Spike vainly tried to shoot them down with fire, but their superior mobility in the air caused him to miss every single time. Jessie was now standing away from the clearing, watching the battle from behind a tree, unable to remain in the vicinity with the amount of fire that had now engulfed the clearing.

_Crap, I can't do anything. _Jessie continued to watch Spike struggling fruitlessly against the older dragons who had turned the fight into a cruel game, shooting small balls of fire at the younger dragon who was forced to dodge, scramble, or endure the hits. Grumble scored a successful hit, causing Spike to stagger, and using this opportunity, Butch flew in and delivered a punishing blow at Spike's midsection with his tail, lifting Spike off the ground and sending him a few feet away before Spike crashed back onto the earth.

"Spike!"

"_**SCREE!" **_

Jessie looked upwards to find the source of the noise. A fiery-colored bird flew in and started to harass the dragons with small tufts of flame, and extremely bright flashes.

_A phoenix. _Taking advantage of the distraction, Jessie ran towards Spike who was lying still on his back within the clearing. Panicked, Jessie began to shake the dragon. "Spike! Spike!" A faint mumble escaped Spike's lips. Jessie then began to slap Spike's face until Spike's eyes slowly opened.

"Hmm… what?" He grumbled. Spike then got up to a sitting a position and placed a hand on his light-green scaled belly, feeling where Butch had struck him.

"You had the wind knocked out of you Spike, and then some." Jessie did his best to help Spike up despite his size. "Some phoenix came out of nowhere and started harassing those dragons," Jessie pointed with his thumb over his shoulder, indicating the trouble the two dragons were now having with the Phoenix. Spike squinted at the conflict, smiled and snapped his fingers.

"That's Peewee!" he declared.

"Your pet phoenix?"

"Yup! Now that Peewee distracted them I can use this opportunity to-"

"Run away," Jessie advised, placing his hands on Spike's shoulder's once more. "We're not going to accomplish anything being burnt to a crisp. Actually, I don't even know what you were trying to accomplish picking a fight with them in the first place."

"I… I don't really know. Maybe-"

"Tell me later," Jessie interposed, "first, we have to get out of here." Spike was back on all fours and they both ran back towards the Everfree Forest. Once they reached the edge of the forest where the forest and the clearing met, Spike created a sharp whistle, attracting the attention of Peewee, who then flew towards, leaving the two dragons flying circles in the air in their dazed state. With the exception of Peewee who could fly, the trio ran through the forest as if fire were at their heels.

During their run, Jessie, who was running alongside Spike, had tripped, and with an expert flick of his wing, Spike had flung Jessie onto his back without breaking speed. Jessie, now nestled comfortably on the base of Spike's neck, looked behind them.

Jessie shook his head, "I don't think so." Jessie then looked at the phoenix flying beside them. "Um, Peewee," Jessie said, wondering if the bird could understand him. Peewee turned his head to look at Jessie. "Uh, I don't suppose you could fly up and see if the dragons are following us, can you?" The moment Jessie finished his request; the phoenix flew up past the tree tops. "Huh, will you look at that, he can understand me."

Spike smiled at Jessie's supposed naivety. "Of course he can." Peewee then flew back in from above and shook his head at Jessie, indicating there were no pursuers. A hefty sigh squeezed out of Jessie's lungs as he wiped his brow of sweat.

As they approached the edge of the Everfree forest, Spike slowed to a walk, and Jessie hopped off his back. Jessie unslung the results of their hunt form his shoulder, and presented it to Spike.

"You must be hungry after that," Jessie said, dangling the animal corpses in front of Spike's face. Spike shook his head.

"Actually, I think I lost my appetite."

Jessie looked at the critters he held in his hand. "Just where am I supposed to eat these? Can't bring it into Ponyville." Spike made a shrugging gesture and began to lumber over to Ponyville. As Jessie pondered starting a fire and preparing a spit roast, loud cries were heard coming from the town. Jessie's head snapped to the direction of the town. "What?!"

Draconic roars were heard, and the cries of ponies sounded. "No!" Spike yelled, once again running towards the town.

"Tiff!" Jessie cried. He dropped the bundle of animals and, with an inhuman or even super-pony burst of speed, ran past Spike.

The citizens of Ponyville ran to and fro, seeking the nearest shelter as Grumble and Butch laid down hellfire from above. The Town Hall had caught fire and ponies evacuated the building, with the mayor ushering them out the door.

"Run everypony, run!" The Mayor urged.

The library was enclosed within a protective force field, with a large opening in the front, where Twilight and Tiff beckoned the ponies took take refuge.

"In here everpony!" Twilight called out. "It's not safe in your homes, they're too flammable! You should be fine in here with the barrier!"

Ponies ran into the barrier, some of them entering the library, or choosing to stay out the library and on the grass, but still within the barrier. Grumble noticed the large amount of ponies running towards the protective magical bubble and flew towards the entrance.

"Oh no!"

"It's coming!"

"Yeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaargh!" A fierce cry sounded off from the side, and Jessie, with unnatural prowess, jumped into the air, and sent his right fist onto the side of Grumble's face. A loud crack was heard, and the blow had redirected Grumble towards the barrier, which then reflected him flying away. Jessie then landed on the ground roughly, on his side, and cradled his right hand.

"Brother!" Tiff ran to him from the barrier. "What's wrong?! Where does it hurt?"

"Think I broke my right hand again but it doesn't matter Tiff," he said, doing his best to suppress his moans of pain. "All that matters is that you're okay." Jessie placed his left hand on his sister's head and ruffled her mane lightly. "Nothing else matters…" He got up slowly and walked to the barrier's entrance, Tiff following closely, where the Mayor and Twilight awaited him. "Hey, any casualties, anypony still out there?" he asked.

"There are many with severe burns," Mayor Mare informed him, "and there are still numerous ponies out in the town!"

"Rainbow Dash and Applejack should be out there rounding them up," Twilight said. "Do you know where Spike is?"

"Spike is-"

"Look out!" The mayor wailed, and pointed a hoof at the sky behind him. Jessie looked up and saw the brown dragon, Butch flying towards them at a breakneck speed. Jessie placed himself defensively between the three ponies and the dragon. Before the dragon reached him, Spike had come in from the side, and tackled the larger dragon to the ground. The dragon shoved Spike away and quickly whirled around, swinging his blunt tail.

"You're not getting me with that again!" Spike ducked under the swing and grabbed the base of Butch's tail. With a mighty heave, he threw Butch to the side, causing him to fall on his back, and received many cheers from the ponies who were watching. Spike then dashed on top of the brown dragon, and raised his claw up high. Before he could bring the decisive strike, Butch fired a jet of fire at Spike, which Spike had to dodge by jumping off of him.

Butch regained his footing and the dragons began to circle each other, creating a small ring. The dragons then stopped their pacing and locked eyes. The tension became suffocating and the ponies that watched didn't dare breath and loudly than they had too. As if due to some invisible cue, the two dragons charged towards each other, slashing with their claws. Spike bit into Butch's shoulder, much to his advantage, since Butch's, essentially, lack of a neck made it impossible for him to do the same. Instead, he dug his claws into Spike's back as he tried to wrestle around the smaller dragon.

Spike instead bit harder, and Butch's movements caused him much pain and agony. Using his massive girth, he managed to swing Spike away, but not without having some of his flesh torn off by the scrappy purple dragon.

"Ah! Stupid kid! That hurt!"

Spike merely leered at the injured dragon, his teeth coated in Butch's blood. Spike, now invigorated, dashed towards Butch once more. Butch, rather than confronting Spike, flapped his wings and tried to get into the air.

"You're not going anywhere!" Spike reached Butch just in time and grabbed one of his limbs, dragging him to the ground. Their wrestle began once more, and this time Spike snaked his head onto Butch's back and bit into his wing. Spike then jerked his to the side, ripping the wing, which elicited an earsplitting cry of pain from Butch, and pushed Butch away. Spike then spat out the remnants vindictively.

"Muh-my wing… Why you!" Infuriated, Butch rushed at Spike, and their deadly duel continued, their claws swinging, their tails whipping, and their mouths snapping. Applejack and Rainbow Dash arrived at the library with a large group of ponies.

"What in tarnation? Why's Spike handling that one all by himself?" Applejack asked, directing the other ponies into the barrier. "Can't you use your magic and do that levitating trick like you did with the Ursa Minor Twi?"

Twilight shook her head. "It'll be too hard to use my magic against a struggling creature or being, especially when I'm trying to keep this force field up. There's not much we can do except ensure the safety of the townsponies."

"Yeah! Go Spike!" Rainbow Dash cheered. She brought her hoof to her mouth as she emitted a whistle. Other Ponies joined in the cheering, and fortified by their cheers, Spike began to out maneuver and out hit the demoralized young adult dragon.

"Spike! Spike! Spike! Spike!" The ponies cheered. Spike had once again pinned butch to the ground, this time using his claws to keep Butch's mouth shut as he raised his free claws up high for the finishing blow. Unfortunately, Grumble had recovered from his encounter with the force field, and had body slammed Spike off of Butch.

"Huh, this little pipsqueak giving you trouble?" Grumble teased, pulling Butch up.

"Oh yeah? Where in the world were you?" Butch asked as he wiped the dirt off himself.

"I was sent on a little trip. Anyways, let's take care of things here and we'll see what we can do for your wing." The dragons approached Spike aggressively, and Spike steeled his stance, ready to fight. Twilight, Jessie, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash stood by his side.

"No," Spike told them. He unfurled his large wings and flapped them, causing them to stumble back into the barrier. "If you guys are going to fight them, it will literally be over my dead body."

Spike bolted for Butch, intent on finishing him off. The dragons simultaneously fired a fountain of flame, forcing Spike to jump to the side. Grumble ascended to the air, and started to unleash his fiery retribution from above. Spike at the same time had to contend with Butch on the ground, which had become much harder since he know had to endure through Grumble's flames.

Once more, the ponies were silent, each of them silently praying for Spike's safety. Many of them had started crying at the spectacle they were now watching. Spike had now practically curled into a defensive ball, shielding himself from the flames from above with his wings, while being manhandled by the larger Butch on the ground.

At one point, Butch whirled around while Spike was curled into a ball, knocking Spike's defense opened with his tail. As Spike lay sprawled on the ground, Grumble descended back onto the ground, and picked Spike up. He then put Spike into a headlock, and Butch walked up to him. Spike struggled to get loose, but was his efforts were fruitless. Unmercifully, Butch curled his claws into fists, and began punching Spike in the gut repeatedly. By now, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie were now outside the library and watching the fight alongside Applejack, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Jessie, and Tiff.

"Let go of Spike!" Rarity yelled. The six ponies began a mad gallop towards the dragons. Butch took notice and stopped his blows, unleashing a fiery blast at the group of ponies. They dispersed, narrowly avoiding getting burnt.

"Darnit, I told you all to stay back!" Spike shouted.

Grumble laughed. "Still trying to act brave, huh idiot? Well, you all should listen to him, in fact, I recommend you all start running now, beating up cocky brats sure works up an appetite."

"You are not going to eat my friends!" Spike managed to gain some decent footing, and dug his rear claws into the ground. He then heaved his shoulders, tossing Grumble over his head, and at Butch. While the two were temporarily entangled, Spike shot his flame at the two. Even from a distance, Jessie felt his eyelashes tingling from the heat. The dragons managed to separate from one another in time, the flame shooting in between them.

"Shoot," Spike said, "that was the best I got. I don't think I can do one that hot again."

"Then let us fight with you!" Twilight demanded, walking up to Spike.

"No, it's too dangerous!"

"It's dangerous for you too!" Rarity wailed. Her eyes watered as they beseeched him to accept their help.

"Look, it's my fault they're here, and I'm going to fix it!"

"What do you mean?"

"I'll…" Spike trailed off momentarily. "I'll tell you all after everything is done here. But for now, please, just let me deal with it."

"Tch, what an idiot," Grumble criticized. Once more, Spike ran at the pair. Butch spun, and swept his tail at Spike's feet, causing him to tumble, and Grumble pinned him to the ground.

"Now then…" Grumble opened his mouth and began to muster a flame.

"Spike!" The ponies cried out.

"_**Grrrrwaah!**_" Grumble turned to see the source of the noise and was immediately beset by a large lion-like creature, with the wings of a bat, and a tail of a scorpion. One of its wings was broken and it was as large as the dragons.

"It's the manticore! Get it off me Butch!" As Grumble tried to crawl away, the manticore bit into one of Grumble's wings, and savagely tore it away. Butch then grabbed the manticore's tail, and the manticore wheeled around, scratching Butch's face. Grumble tried to get away, but Spike suddenly appeared in front of him.

"There, now we're all grounded. Try calling me a little pipsqueak now."

Grumble pushed himself up, and smiled. He then reared himself down to all fours, ready for combat against Spike. "Don't get too cocky shrimp. You're not gonna live for long."

Spike smirked, and at the behest of an unknown signal, the two dragons engaged each other.

Rainbow Dash watched the battle with her mouth open wide. Two dragons versus a dragon and a manticore, locked in mortal combat, were having at it in the middle of Ponyville. "This might be the coolest thing I ever saw."

Applejack elbowed her in the side. "Rainbow! This is a life or death situation!"

"I know!" Rainbow said, "But that doesn't make this any less cool! Yeah, get him Spike!"

"Spikey spikey you're our colt; if you can't do it we'll all bolt!" Pinkie Pie chanted enthusiastically.

Fluttershy trembled behind Jessie's legs, peeking out between his legs. "Go Spike… You can do it…" she softly said.

"You're gonna have to speak up louder than that if you want him to hear it." Jessie said, looking at Fluttershy behind him.

Hesitantly, Fluttershy extended her head out to the side. "Go Spike! Get rid of those meanies!" She then retracted her head back behind Jessie's legs.

"Spike…" Rarity said tenderly, watching Grumble and Spike grapple with each other. Twilight placed a reassuring hoof on Rarity's shoulder.

"It'll be alright," Twilight said in a placating manner, "he is not going to lose here, not in his home."

"Gah!" Butch cried out in pain. The manticore had bit into Butch's tail as he swung it at the manticore. As Butch tried to swing the manticore off, the manticore dug its claws into the ground a pulled back simultaneously. A bone-cracking snap sounded off within the town and Butch's tail now lay limply on the ground. As Butch writhed in agony, the manticore hopped onto Butch's back and bit into the dragon's head.

Butch wheeled around, trying to dislodge the manticore, which had burrowed its claws into Butch's hide. Butch took a running start, jumped into the air, and turned, landing on top of the manticore that was on his back. The maneuver had successfully knocked the manticore off, leaving it dazed on the ground.

"You're dead you stupid cat!" Butch opened his mouth to unleash one last flame thrower at the manticore. With an agility attributed to that of a feline, the manticore leapt to its feet and avoided the blast. With utmost deftness, it then closed the distance between itself and the dragon, and tackled Butch with its shoulder. While Butch lost his balance, the manticore's tail shot out and pierced the softer scales of Butch's underbelly.

"W-what?" Those were Butch's last words as the tail began to pump lethal amounts of venom into the dragon's body. Butch's eyes rolled back into his head and foam started to bubble at his mouth as he head titled upwards towards the sky. The manticore removed its tail from its opponent's body with a sickening _shlick_, and Butch fell to the ground, never to get up again.

Spike was at a slight disadvantage with his bout against Grumble, having expelled much of his energy earlier. Grumble attacked and dodged effortlessly, clawing at Spike's head relentlessly while swiftly dodging away whenever spike retaliated. At one point, after Grumble had nearly gouged at Spike's eye, Spike anticipated the dodge, and snorted smoke at Grumble's face. Using the smokescreen, Spike dived head on against Grumble in a body slam, sending the pair crashing into a nearby food stand.

Grumble was stunned by the impact, and Spike had bit him at the base of the neck. In return, Grumble mimicked the action, and the two dragons were now locked in a grappling match, their teeth latched into each other. As Spike bit into Grumble's neck, an idea popped into his head. A rumbling gurgling sound appeared in Spike's throat. Soon, the acidic substance that serves as fuel for a dragon's flame began to seep from his mouth. The substance began to coat Spike's teeth, which were now impaled into Grumble's neck.

A revolting sizzle began to take place at the base of Grumble's neck, and the red dragon wriggled, tormented by the acid that had managed to get under his scales and into his muscle tissues. Unable to take the torture, Grumble began to push Spike away, having let go of Spike's neck. Spike let go for the briefest of moments, before repositioning his mouth and biting higher up on Grumble's neck. With his hand, Spike manipulated Grumble's head away, a bit down harder, his acid-coated teeth helping him sear through the flesh. Grumble's movements grew weaker and weaker, until finally, his body went limp.

Spike released the neck, and the body dropped. Twilight allowed the force field to dissipate as the townsponies of Ponyville all ran out to greet their champion. The excitement was short-lived when the manticore jumped between them and Spike, eliciting a gasp from the crowd. Spike looked at the manticore with furrowed brows, and the manticore returned the expression.

As is customary when two top predators meet, Spike went down on all fours, and the two began to pace around in a circle, not breaking eye contact, watching each other's movements with the highest of senses. The crowd began to murmur, and Twilight stepped on to do something before Jessie blocked her with an arm.

"Jessie? What do you think you're doing?!" Twilight asked, demanding an explanation.

Jessie watched the two beasts circle each other cautiously as he explained. "It's a rule of nature that there can only be one apex predator."

"A what?" Rainbow Dash asked, hovering above his shoulder.

Jessie turned his head and looked up to address her. "Top hunter."

"You don't mean to say that our dear Spikey Wikey is a-"

"Ferocious, meat-eating, animal killing, blood-spilling dragon!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, interrupting Rarity.

"Oh my," Fluttershy spoke up, "I… I had my suspicions but I was hoping that Spike would speak to me about it first…"

"You knew?" Jessie asked, looking at the frightened Pegasus that still cowered behind his legs.

"Not really, just… just suspicions, that's all."

Applejack stamped her hoof impatiently. "Now wait a gosh-darn minute! Don't tell me we're going to let Spike take on a giant manticore right after he just got finished with a dragon just so he can see whether or not he's the best?"

"It's not a matter of us letting him fight the manticore," Jessie explained, "it's a matter of him not allowing us to interfere." Jessie pointed at Spike with his unbroken hands. "Look at his eyes; those are the eyes a being has when they mean to finish something. I've know that look, I've seen that look, heck, I'm pretty sure I had that look. We shouldn't interrupt a man's, er, colt's fight."

Twilight rolled her eyes at his logic. "Ugh, males."

The manticore's and Spike's pacing stop. They stood still for a moment, gazing into each other's eyes in attempt to read each other's motives. Suddenly, Spike's nostrils flared, the manticore's claws extended, and in mutual agreement, the two beasts jumped towards each other, their claws raised high, their mouths open wide as they contested the spot on the top of the food chain.


	7. The Cutie Mark Crusaders

**Note from the author: Sorry for getting this chapter in a little late, been a little demotivated lately, though I promise i won't ever give up completely on this story. It's nearing the end of the semester so expect delays due to the massive influx of projects, exams, and papers I have to do (and been putting off). Also with season three of FiM, I may update slower, just in case there are elements within the season I'd like to incorporate into my story (mainly holidays if there any more to add). **

* * *

Jessie sat on his bed, examining his right hand. He clenched it into a fist and opened it again, repeating the movement over and over. It has been a week and two days since he had broken his right hand again, after shattering it against the face of Grumble, the red dragon. He was then forced to venture back into the Everfree Forest and had to ask Zecora for another dosage of the bone-healing brew, at the relatively cheap price of fingernail clippings and saliva, thereby disturbing Jessie even more. After he deemed his right hand to be working just fine, he slipped on some overalls "imported" from the human world, laced his boots, and left the room.

The last week was what Jessie considered his first "full" week in Equestria (not including the time he spent going back to Earth on Saturday), having been asleep for the majority of the first four days within his first week. On Monday, he tended to the hogs at the Apple Orchard. Jessie questioned the purpose of growing the hogs, since in the human world; swine are typically raised to be butchered. Applejack informed him that the pigs are typically bred for competition, for the consumption of other animals such as dogs, and are also used to dispose of bad apples. Jessie was disheartened when Applejack said she never heard of bacon, and he didn't bother to try and explain it to her.

On Tuesday he was over at Rarity's, where he assisted her with the dressmaking. He held her pincushion, retrieved supplies from other rooms, and answered questions as to what he thought of some her designs, wanting a "unique perspective from the view of an exotic unfamiliar with pony fashion". At one point, Rarity became curious as to how it would be like to dress a human, and within moments Jessie found himself standing still as Rarity began to take measurements and pin his clothing.

Wednesday, he was counting the bunny population for the census with Fluttershy out in White Tail Woods. Fluttershy gently coaxed them out of their hiding places, and Jessie counted them, taking notes in his notepad. Unfortunately, many of them had started to run away in fear at the mere sight of Jessie, most likely unfamiliar with what manner of creature he was, and Jessie was obliged to disguise himself as a bush when Fluttershy gathered the rabbits once more.

Thursday, Twilight showed him the library's card catalogue, and how the books were ordered. Then, to test him, Twilight removed all the books from the shelf and told Jessie to put them all back in the proper places. Unfamiliar with the schools of magic, the task took an entire day, with Jessie constantly checking back with the card catalogue, confirming the placement of each book. Once Jessie was finished, he boldly stated that he was "…glad magic doesn't exist on Earth," and that if he was forced to study such an extensive subject he would, "go crazy and just blow everything up because it's fun."

Friday, he worked the register at Sugar Cube Corner, with Pinkie Pie "managing him". In actuality, as he tended to the register, Pinkie Pie pranced about, asked him questions, and told many stories, all of which ended in a manner that confused him, such as when she told him the story when she lost her first tooth and ended with "and that's where babies come from." In return, Jessie answered Pinkie's questions, many of which were about the human world, its food, and its societies.

On Saturday, Rainbow Dash gave him the day off, and Jessie took this time to go back to Earth to get some extra clothing. Mindy had taken advantage of his sudden appearance and had somehow roped Jessie into shopping with her, influencing her boyfriend, a boxing fan, to come with her as well, so that he may speak with Jessie. As they wondered through the many stores of New York City, Jessie and Mindy's boyfriend, a man named Mendel, carried the bags and conversed. Mendel spoke of the fight between Jessie and Jake Nicholson, and marveled at Jessie's ability to read his opponents. The constant flattery caused Jessie to flush red throughout the day. Jessie returned to Ponyville with a large amount of clothing, as planned, though most of it read "I love new york" or of the like.

Sunday, Jessie spent the day fishing with Spike. While Jessie used a rod, Spike snaked his head into the lake and attempted to catch fish that way. Unfortunately, that resulted in the fish getting scared away, and an oversized rod had to be made for Spike. While a few fish was enough for Jessie, in order to sate Spike's appetite, he stayed and caught a bucketful, which was barely enough to tide Spike over.

Now it was Monday again and Jessie was heading back down to the Apple Family Orchard. Dressed in overalls and boots, he had a likeness of a farmer and carried himself as such when he walked through the town. By now, the ponies of Ponyville were accustomed to his presence, and some even greeted him as he walked by.

"Hi Jessie!"

"Hey Chamomile!"

"Hello Jessie, nice overalls!"

"Thanks Cheerilee!"

"Would you help an old pony find his dentures?"

"Again with the obscure Vesperia reference? They're in that glass of water you're holding Mr. Trotter."

"Mm, what? Oh, thank you."

Jessie arrived at the orchard, where Applejack and Big McIntosh were carrying baskets of apples, and ran where they stood.

"Hey AJ! Big Mac!"

The two ponies turned and greeted Jessie. "Why howdy there partner, you're lookin' might dandy in them overalls!"

"Eeeyup," Big McIntosh agreed. Jessie beamed.

"So, what am I doing today?" he asked. Applejack pointed towards the orchard's southern field, showing all the tree's covered in apples, and all the baskets beneath.

"It's apple-buckin' season, and we're startin' over there, in that there southern field."

The three of them walked over to the southern field, and Jessie walked up to a nearby tree. He looked up at the treetop and examined the fruit it bore. "Apple-Bucking season huh?" His fist shot out at the trunk of the tree, striking it with a resounding thud. A single apple fell from the branches and landed on Jessie's head.

"Ow," Jessie said, pulling back his fist and pulling out the splinter in his knuckle with his teeth. Jessie's attempt at dropping apples drew light laughter from Big Mac and Applejack.

"That's a mighty powerful punch you got there sugar, but you'd prob'ly end up splittin' the tree in half 'afore you end up buckin' all the apples. You're gonna need hooves."

"Eeeyup," Big Mac agreed.

As a demonstration, Applejack walked to the tree he just punched and directed her hind legs towards it. With a swift and powerful double-back kick, she struck the tree, and the apples fell off neatly into the baskets.

"What you can do is carry the baskets up and over to the barn house over there. Me'n Mac are gonna get buckin'."

"Got it," Jessie replied, picking up the large apple basket and heading to the barn.

The work was intensive, and the heat of the sun did little to help as Jessie continued from the field to the barn and back again. The passing of time felt inexorable as Jessie went on with his task, his hands getting calloused from the lifting of baskets, his back feeling strained by the weight of the apples, and his body moistening as it secreted sweat. The distance between the baskets and the barn was literally getting longer as he moved up into the field to retrieve the farther baskets. By midday he had undid the straps of his overalls, letting them hang loose and removed his shirt, using it to wipe the sweat off his face, exposing his bare torso to the elements.

As he toiled, he felt he was being surveyed, and he started to become attentive to unnatural movements. After he dropped what he felt was his hundredth basket, though realistically it was like his seventieth, a nearby rustle of a bush caught his attention. He pretended not to notice and once he walked past, he suddenly turned, his hands shooting into the bush, parting the leaves and branches, revealing a yellow filly with a red mane and tail wearing a pink bow on the backside of her head. Jessie blinked once in confusion before addressing the filly.

"Oh, well hey there; you must be Apple Bloom, nice to meet you, I'm Jessie." Jessie crouched down and extended a hand towards Apple Bloom. Rather than shaking, she wriggled back in fear. _This is the first time I'm meeting her, I was starting to doubt whether or not she existed. _

"It's okay," he said soothingly, "I'm a friend. I'm helping your brother and sister here. Did you see me last week?"

Apple Bloom nodded. Jessie did his best to look as disarming as possible.

"You know," he continued, "I have a little sister, probably as old as you; you might have seen her around. Light-green unicorn filly with a blonde mane and tail like your sister's, wears a cat-ear headband? Her name's Tiff."

Apple Bloom nodded once more. "She's got a blank flank," she stated.

"That's right, where did you see her?"

By now, Apple Bloom had crawled out from the bush and began speaking with Jesse in the light, who had sat down with his legs crossed. "I saw her down at Sugar Cube Corner before. I tried talkin' to her but she seemed awful shy."

Jessie cupped his chin with his index finger and thumb in thought. "Shy? That doesn't seem like her." Jessie's eyes widened as he came to his conclusion. "Oh, I think I know why she was shy. You're the first kid she's ever talked to in a long time. I had her home schooled and everyone she'd ever talked to were adults."

"Home schooled? But why?" Apple Bloom asked. Jessie simply ruffled her mane.

"That's a story for another time."

"Applejack said you say that a lot to Twilight whenever she asks you questions."

Jessie's right eye twitched after hearing Apple Bloom's reply. "Oh ho, did she now? Guess Twilight and Applejack are quite the gossipers aren't they?"

Jessie's expression drew laughter from Apple Bloom, leading him to smile.

"Apple Bloom, why don't you try talking to my sister again?" he suggested. "I'm sure she could really use a friend like you. Actually, why not take the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle too?"

"You heard about us?!" Apple Bloom asked excitedly. "Oh wait a minute. Its prob'ly something bad like 'we're a nuisance' or we're 'just a bunch of blank flanks'."

Jessie gave her a smile. "Actually, from what I heard about the Crusader's exploits, I'd say you girls are the most resilient band of fillies in Equestria. If you girls ever get your Cutie Marks, I'd bet it'll probably be along the lines of never giving up."

"Wow!" Apple Bloom exclaimed. "I wonder what the Cutie Mark for that would look like!"

Jessie smirked at thought of it. "Perhaps the eye of a tiger?"

"What?"

"Oh its nothing," Jessie said, still smiling coyly and patting her on the head. "Just a human joke."

"You sure it's not just 'a story for another time'?" Apple Bloom said teasingly. Once more, Jessie's eye twitched.

"Hey hey, watch it now, brat." Jessie stood back up. "I've got more work to do. Tiff should be at the library. Now run along." Jessie motioned Apple Bloom towards the library who then took off.

"Well, that was an interesting but welcome distraction." Jessie then turned back to the apple tree field, looking at the vast amount of baskets filled with apples. A sigh escaped his lips. "Back to work then…"

By midafternoon, half of the southern field was finished, and the work was done for today. Due to the demanding work of Apple-Bucking season, Applejack informed him that she had spoken to the rest of their friends, and they allowed her to keep him for the week. Despite the amount of effort required, Jessie was at least glad about the workout it gave, and made no complaint.

_I should probably wear something lighter tomorrow_, Jessie thought, dabbing his face with his shirt, his overalls still unstrapped, as he walked homewards. As he neared the library, a sudden boom rang within his ears, followed by Twilight's shouting.

"Girls!" Twilight shouted.

"We're sorry Twilight," a small chorus chimed. Jessie, his interest piqued, slowly opened the door to the library and looked around.

"Nothing wrong with the first floor," he murmured. He walked in and tossed his shirt into the hamper before ascending the steps to the second floor. When he arrived, a mare and four fillies were all coated in a fine black powder, and Jessie had difficulty identifying the ponies. The mare's horn glowed, and the magic engulfed the group of ponies, removing the black powder, revealing them to be Twilight, Tiff, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

Jessie looked at them with a raised eyebrow, and saw the broken chemistry set on the table, surrounding a black burn mark in the center. "Let me guess, you girls added water to acid."

"Was that what we were mixing?" Scootaloo asked as she peered into the contents of a beaker filled with an unknown chemical.

"Girls, clean this mess up, you," Twilight pointed a hoof at Jessie, "I want to talk to you." Twilight pulled Jessie aside as the four fillies began to clean the mess. "As much as I love those little ponies," Twilight turned to look at the girls cleaning the mess then back at Jessie, "It wasn't really the smartest idea sending them over here to this library with their let's-find-our-Cutie Marks mentality."

Jessie rubbed the back of his head self-consciously. "Yeah, sorry about that. It's just that I realized that Tiff never actually had any friends her age. Back in our world she's always talking to my manager, or my trainers, or my associates, or the other people I meet, she's never had a friend her age."

"Not even at school?" Twilight asked.

Jessie shook his head. "I had her homeschooled."

"And that's a story for another time!" Apple Bloom chimed in from the table.

"I _do not _say that all the time."

"You kinda do," Twilight pointed out, suppressing a giggle.

"Haha, whatever. So what happened here?"

Twilight pulled him away further from the girls. "The Crusader's came over asking for Tiff. Tiff was a bit shy at first but then Apple Bloom told us that you sent them so she started to open up a little. After a few introductions and some discussion, your sister had somehow got inducted into the Cutie Mark Crusaders. A little pointless, if I do say so myself."

"Why's that?" he asked.

Twilight looked at the girls carefully and leaned in closely to Jessie to who bent down so she can whisper in his ear. "If you ask me, your sister has an affinity for magic, and if she keeps taking lessons with me, she'll get her Cutie Mark soon."

Jessie looked at his sister with a puzzled expression before turning back to Twilight. "I think we should discuss things somewhere else." Jessie went down the stairs, and the pair began to discuss things in Jessie's and Tiff's room.

"About Tiff getting her Cutie mark…" Jessie began, taking a seat on his bed. "I mean, can she even get one? I'm not even sure if she can even be considered a real pony…"

"Well, she's a unicorn that can do magic, so she seems to be working just fine, I don't see why she can't get a Cutie Mark," Twilight answered.

Jessie pursed his lips and looked away. "Yeah, I guess…"

"What's this really about?" Twilight probed. She peered at Jessie with a "you-better-tell-me" expression, and Jessie caved in.

"I don't…" Jessie hesitated, "I don't want Tiff getting her Cutie Mark."

"Excuse me?!" Twilight replied in aghast, "A Cutie Mark is symbol for what makes a pony special, why wouldn't you want your sister getting one?"

"Because I don't want her thinking that she's a real pony."

"_Excuse me?!_" She said once more clearly offended.

Jessie raised his hands in front of him defensively as Twilight angrily stepped towards him. "That's not what I meant Twilight. It's just that once she thinks she's a real pony, she'll start to think she'll belong in this world; she'll start to get too attached. And that will just make leaving that much harder…"

An exasperated sigh left Jessie's lungs and he buried his face in his hands. Twilight's expression softened and she hopped onto the bed, leaning in against Jessie. This drew a blush from him, which he tried vainly to conceal.

"Jessie, what makes you think you have to leave?"

"Could we stay?"

"What makes you think you aren't welcome to?" Twilight asked, modifying her original question.

"Nothing I guess. But even then, it's not so simple, leaving the human world…"

"Let me guess, family and friends?"

A small laugh left Jessie at Twilight's hypothesis. "A very reasonable guess but that's actually very wrong. Ever since… well you know, the story I'm keeping for another time, me and Tiff have sort of cut ourselves off from family. As for friends, we only have one, that's Chaz, my do it all guy. I actually have more friends here than over there back home."

"Then what's stopping you from staying?" Twilight continually queried.

"Bureaucracy," Jessie said definitively. He noticed the bemused expression on Twilight's face, and he expounded. "Since I kind of made a name for myself back home, not a very famous name, but a name nonetheless, it'll be really hard for me to just disappear off the face of the Earth. People will wonder where I'm at, authorities will start looking into things, investigations will begin, and I'll be causing too much trouble for any persons involved, especially my man Chaz."

"Surely you can think of something."

"You seem really insistent."

"Why of course!" she said a-matter-of-factly, "you're our friend, and we like our friends to stay." She leaned in once more and rubbed against his arm affectionately, and Jessie was forced to turn away to hide his tomato-colored face.

Jessie remained silent for a bit before finally speaking up. "I'll see what I can do."

"Great!" Twilight exclaimed. "Speaking of seeing what we can do, we should see what we can do about those scars." Twilight started to run her hoof over the scars Jessie received from the manticore, and the sudden intimate contact made Jessie stiffen. "Huh, you're stiff all of a sudden."

Jessie stood up right away and began to fix his straps in an attempt to cover his torso. "Yes, well, that is…" Jessie caught himself and wheeled himself towards Twilight who had a hoof over her mouth to hold back her laughter. "_Not _a story for another time. Or any time at all. I'm going to take a shower…" _A cold one_, he thought to himself.

Jessie was back at the orchard, lifting baskets from the field to the barn house. Rather than wearing his overalls, he wore a simple white shirt, shorts, slippers, and a straw hat. The sun was no less merciful than it was the previous day, and Jessie was thankful for his impulse buy of the straw hat last Saturday. As he carried a particularly heavy basket, bearing fruit from a particularly fruitful tree, the sound of children laughing caught his ears, followed by a stampeding of hooves. In the distance, Jessie could see the Tiff, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle running by, cheerful in their play. The sight brought a smile to Jessie's face and the basket magically felt lighter.

* * *

"So what are we gonna do today for our Cutie Marks?" Sweetie Belle asked. The crusaders were at the club house in the private section of the Apple Orchard, with their newest member, Tiff. Tiff wasn't paying attention, engrossed by the book she was reading.

"Tiff? Tiff!" Scootaloo called out impatiently.

Tiff looked up from her book. "Hm? What?"

"Whatcha got there Tiff?" Apple Bloom asked, approaching Tiff and looking at the book from over Tiff's shoulder.

"Oh this?" Tiff laid the book open on the floor for all the Crusaders to see. "This is a book on monster hunting!"

"Monster hunting?" Sweetie Belle flipped the book to its table of contents. "Monster Hunting 101: The Beginning of your Monster Hunting Career. Chapter one: Your Equipment and your Companions. Chapter two: Tactics. Chapter three: Weak Monsters for beginners? Why are you reading this book Tiff?"

"Oh I know!" Scootaloo spoke up excitedly, picking up the book and flipping through the pages. "Maybe we could try monster hunting! That's what you were thinking, right Tiff? That's why you were reading this book."

Tiff, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle looked at Scootaloo with concern. "Um," Apple Bloom spoke up, "are you okay Scootaloo? I mean, I know we really want out Cutie Marks but monster hunting seems kind of…"

"Dangerous? No duh, but wouldn't it be better to get the dangerous things out of the way first? Besides, if we don't try, we'll never know!" Scootaloo reasoned.

"That's true I guess..." Sweeties Belle reluctantly agreed.

"Er, I don't know," Apple Bloom said, turning a few pages in the book, "that book says it is really dangerous, and that only the bravest of ponies should even try."

Scootaloo stood up on her hind legs, raising her front hooves in the air. "We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders! Our creed is to not let anything stop us from finding out our Cutie Marks!"

"That's true…" Sweetie Belle, agreed once more, just as reluctant.

"What do you think Tiff?" Apple Bloom asked, giving Tiff a nudge. Tiff pursed her lips and perused the contents of the book.

"Well…" Tiff began, biting her bottom lip. She looked at the other Crusaders who were smiling at her expectantly, and with a conceding sigh she gave her answer. "The book does have a list of weak monsters, they shouldn't be too hard. And the book has a lot of information that should help us deal with them. If we start off with the weaker monsters and work our way up we should be fine."

"It's decided! We're going to hunt some monsters!" Scootaloo bravely declared.

"Yeah!" Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle cheered.

"But first," Tiff spoke up, temporarily delaying their frivolity, "we have to start with chapter one, 'Equipment and our Companions'."

"Well, read it then!" Scootaloo eagerly urged her.

Tiff cleared her throat. "Ahem, it reads: Chapter one, your Equipment and your Companions. Dear reader, if you have picked up this book, you are already on your way to becoming a monster hunter. Monster hunting is a lucrative career, allowing ponies to retrieve otherwise rare materials from creatures and sell them, as well as create trophies from said creatures as well. We use the term monster, though in actuality, the beasts we plan to hunt are nothing more than animals, some with the power of magic. While the outright killing or capturing of living things is often frowned upon, there are some animals in which the OFWLC (Organization of Wildlife Control), say are okay to kill or capture, or even encouraged, because of the danger they pose to Pony populations. All these beasts are listed in this book.

Before you begin your career, it is important to have two things: The right equipment and the right friends. While some creatures require specific tools or measures, it is generally agreed upon that rope, a grappling hook, a means to create fire, nets, medical supplies, and food supplies, are the complete and utter basics. Below is a table listing other commonly used supplies used by monster hunters everywhere."

"That's a really long list," Apple Bloom pointed out, looking over the table that spanned several pages.

"We can look over that later," Scootaloo suggested, "let's see what is says about our companions."

Tiff continued the reading. "Due to the very dangerous nature of many of the creatures in this book, it is recommended, no matter how weak the monster, to hunt in a group. Among the group, many members can be specialized to do specific roles, however, the group mustn't be too dependent on one member to do a specific role, and everypony must have a secondary role that they can play, should the group member specialized to do a certain role be incapable of doing so. The primary roles are: the commando, the trapper, the overseer, and the support.

The commando's job is to confront the beasts directly, and to lure the monsters into the traps set by the trappers.

The trapper, as the name suggests, sets up the traps, often making several back up traps should the primary one fail, and may even set up escape traps should the worst happen.

The overseer watches over everything from a distance, preferably from an elevated position. The overseer watches out for any unknown variables that cannot be planned and communicates with the commando, the trapper, and the support using either a magical device (which is highly recommended) or using other signals such as smoke or light.

Last, but not least, is the support. The support is the pony that assists all the other ponies, should the other roles find themselves having trouble. Quite often, the support would assist the commando then run to the trapper, warning him or her that the commando and the prey are coming. The support must always be on standby and do whatever he or she deems is best in the situation."

"I'll be the commando!" Scootaloo exclaimed.

"I'll be the trapper!" Apple Bloom declared.

"The overseer is me!" Sweetie Bell joined in.

"And that makes me the support," Tiff said before looking back into the book. "There are also several minor roles that may prove to be very helpful. These can be done by other ponies, or by the ponies doing the primary role. These roles, while considered 'minor', are very important as well, such as the medic, weapons handler, zoologist, and so on. Below is a table listing all the minor roles and their uses."

"That's a lot of roles," Sweetie Belle said in awe.

"Chapter two: Tactics," Tiff continued. A collective groan emerged from the Crusaders.

* * *

The final basket of the southern field had been placed at the barn house, and Jessie, with much delight, placed it down, then rolled onto the ground, looking up at the orange sky, and wiping the sweat off his face with the back of his arm and hand.

"Well you're just plum tuckered out, ain't you?" Applejack stood over Jessie, looking down at the tired human. Big McIntosh then came over with a bucket of water and splashed Jessie with its contents. Jessie spat some of the water that entered his mouth and looked to Big Mac.

"Gee, thanks Big Mac."

"Eeeyup."

Jessie got up, and stretched his limbs. "So," he said, stretching his legs, "is there anything else for today?"

Applejack tossed him a small bag filled with bits. "Eeenope," Big Mac replied. Jessie shook the bag appreciatively, and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Then I guess I'll see you both tomor-"

"**GRAAAAAA**!"

A bestial cry rang through his ears, causing Jessie to look off in the distance. "What the heck was that?!"

"Don't get your knickers in a bunch sugar, it's prob'ly just the ole' hydra down at Froggy Bottom Bog defendin' its eggs," Applejack assured him.

Jessie continued to peer into the distance warily. "I have a really bad feeling… Applejack, how do you get to the bog?"

"Follow the southern path out of Ponyville." Applejack pointed him the way. "And do be careful, hydras aren't to be trifled with."

"Noted," Jessie said, tipping his straw hat towards her in thanks. As Jessie took off on a light jog, he placed a hand over his stomach, taking notice of the sinking feeling he had.

* * *

"Oh great! We just came here to catch giant frogs, and we end up ticking off a hydra!" Scootaloo exclaimed. She and the other crusaders were hunched over in a small grotto by the cliff-side, overlooking the bog. They each had saddlebags on their backs filled with "supplies" most of which were simply sweets or band-aids. Outside was a four-headed hydra, constantly bashing the cliff-side in an attempt to bring out the crusaders.

"If that giant frog wasn't sittin' on top of that there hydra egg, none of this would have happened." Apple Bloom depressively placed her face in her hooves.

Tiff's nose was buried within the monster hunting book once more, with Sweetie Belle by her side reading over her shoulder. "You girls find the answer yet?" Apple Bloom asked, walking over to the unicorns.

Tiff shook her head. "We're pretty much stuck here. The best thing we can do is just wait the hydra out. Sooner or later some sense will get back in its head, er, heads, and it should be going back to its egg." Tiff placed her book back in her saddlebag.

The hydra struck the cliff once more, causing dust and small bits of rock to crumble from the top of the cave and unto the fillies below. Sweetie Belle let out a harsh sneeze. "Mm, not before she ends up caving us in here," she said as she rubbed the back of her hoof against her nose. The hydra continued its assault and more rubble began to fall from the cave top.

"We gotta get outta here girls!" Scootaloo recommended. When she approached the cave mouth, one of the hydra's heads greeted her and snapped its jaw at her, causing Scootaloo to shriek and run back deeper into the cave. "Or not…"

"What're we goin' to do?!" Apple Bloom wailed, falling unto her back and covering her eyes with a foreleg.

The hydra relentlessly continued its thrashing, and the cave soon began to rumble violently. The four fillies all clung to each other and trembled, watching the roof of the cave in horror. Just as it seemed the cave would collapse around them, the rumbling stopped, though the cries of the hydra continued to sound off.

"Huh? The hydra stopped," Tiff stated, releasing her fellow crusaders and approaching the mouth of the cave. "It turned around! I can see its tail! Girls, we can get out of here!"

Upon hearing her declaration, the Crusaders ran out the opening, and were confronted by the hydra's tail. They slowly side-stepped out of the way until they saw what was in front of the hydra, distracting it from them. A human, wearing a white shirt, shorts, slippers, and a straw hat was tossing rocks at the hydra while dodging the attempts from its heads to eat him. He caught sight of the Cutie Mark Crusaders and his eyes widened.

"Bro!" Tiff cried out. Jessie's finger crossed his lips vertically in a gesture for silence but the damage was done. Upon hearing Tiff, one of the hydra's heads turned and spotted the fillies before directing the other's attention towards them.

The fillies were now out of reach from the cave entrance, and the hydra strategically placed itself between them and the cave.

"Girls!" Jessie's head pivoted around his location, frantically trying to find something to catch the hydra's attention. With desperation driving him, he removed his hat and tossed it like a Frisbee at the hydra. The resulting action would have been enough to make Oddjob praise him for his work.

The straw hat flew at the hydra's profile at an amazing speed, and upon making contact with one of its necks, severed it, made contact with the next, severed it, made contact with the third one, severed it, and then finally cutting through the final one before impaling itself into the cliff-side. Tiff, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Jessie all dropped their jaws at stared at the completely behead hydra in disbelief, its severed heads wriggling on the ground for a brief moment before laying still.

Jessie approached the Crusaders, though his eyes were still glued to the beheaded hydra figure he had inadvertently created in his moment of panic. "Are you girls okay?" he asked, still dumbly looking at the headless hydra. The girls nodded, also not taking their eyes off the hydra.

"That. Was. Awesome!" Scootaloo cheered, finally finding the words to express her emotion. The other three fillies and Jessie have also managed to loosen up and pry their eyes away from the devastated hydra.

"So what were you girls doing here in this bog anyways?" He asked them, placing his hands at his hips and bending down towards them, regarding them in a scolding manner.

"We were out mo-" Apple Bloom was interrupted when Scootaloo placed a hoof over her mouth.

"Um, mo- monkeying around! Y'know, just trying to find our Cutie Marks," Scootaloo sheepishly answered with an awkward grin.

Jessie raised an eyebrow suspiciously and looked at Sweetie Belle. "Sweetie Belle, what were you girls doing?"

"Er, we were, um…"

"Exploring!" Tiff interrupted, coming to Sweetie Belle's rescue. "That's why we have saddlebags filled with stuff, in case you know, something bad happened. We didn't expect to run into a hydra! Honest!" The other three Crusaders were quick to agree, nodding their heads in unison.

"I don't believe the exploring part," Jessie said, looking at the girls with a guarded eye, "but I'm sure you girls aren't dumb enough to run around and start picking fights with hydras." Jessie turned back to the decimated corpse of the hydra and looked at it bemused. "Y'know, I thought hydras were supposed to regenerate and have two heads grow in place. Guess that's not true." Jessie shrugged and turned back to the girls, who were now clinging to each other and shaking violently.

"What? What's wrong?" Jessie asked. Tiff raised a trembling hoof, pointing at the still standing hydra "corpse" behind him. Jessie turned and to his horror saw foam bubbling from the bloodied stumps from where the heads once connected. Out of each of the four stumped grew two sinewy, scaled, and long necks, each bearing a reptilian head, with slit-shaped nostrils, dagger-like teeth, and a snake-like tongue. Eight terrifying yet magnificent heads towered over the stunned fillies and human, all of which looking down on them with a fury.

With sudden action, Jessie whirled back to the fillies, and scooped them all up within his arms, before running off through the swamp, strategically staying on the dry and hard parts of the land, avoiding the swampy morass that threatened to impede his speed. The now eight-headed hydra gave a savage a roar with all its mouths, and produced a cry that made a rumble in the earth that nearly made Jessie stumble over. With long strides the hydra took after Jessie, and the distance between the two shortened rapidly.

"He's catchin' up!" Apple Bloom pointed a hoof over his shoulder. As Jessie neared the path, ear piercing shrieks came from the fillies he carried. He turned his head behind him to see one of the hydra's heads looming dangerously close. As it approached biting range, it suddenly snapped at Jessie, who avoided the bite by skipping to the side, a maneuver he was very familiar with in the ring. As he reached the end of his skip, two more heads attacked.

_Dammit, with these girls in my arms, it'll be really hard to move_, he thought, dodging the hydra's attempts. He looked down at the fillies in his arms, whose faces were now buried in his chest and shoulders, small sobs making their little bodies convulse as tears began to wet his shirt. His heart turned to a knot and with a few deft steps he had skillfully maneuvered himself behind the hydra, momentarily confusing the behemoth.

_Okay, here goes nothing. _Jessie shut his eyes tight and held his breath. _C'mon magic, where are you? Why do you only come out whenever you want? This is _REALLY _important. _

The hydra turned and emitted an angry roar, causing one of the girls in his arms to squeak in distress. Jessie's eyes suddenly widened. _There's the weight! _Jessie shut his eyes once more and in a moment, his load lightened as the fillies in his arms disappeared. _I can see why Twilight had trouble with magic when she was younger, trying to do it on purpose is hard_, he thought, turning back to the hydra. He looked up at the monster and gave it a smirk. "Well honey, looks like the kids are gone, why don't we have a little fun?"

* * *

"Huh?"

"What?"

"Where are we?"

"Where's my brother?"

The Cutie Mark Crusaders found themselves a few meters away from the southern entrance of Ponyville, clumped together and clinging to a person that was no longer there. They dispersed and looked around their location.

"We're close to Ponyville," Sweetie Belle pointed out, pointing her hoof up the path to the south entrance of the town.

"But how did we get here?" Scootaloo questioned aloud. "And where's Tiff's brother?"

"He must have used magic to teleport us out of harm's way," Tiff postulated.

"Your brother can do magic? That's amazin'!" Apple Bloom exclaimed.

"Yeah," Tiff agreed, "otherwise he wouldn't have been able to decapitate that hydra with his hat."

The girls looked at Tiff, confused. "Decapi-what?" Tiff sighed and ignored their query, galloping back down the southern path.

"Tiff! Where're you goin'?" Apple Bloom called out.

"I'm gonna help my brother!"

Tiff was then immediately joined by the other three crusaders, who began running alongside her. "You're not going back alone!"

"That's right!"

"And how!"

"Fine," Tiff said, picking up the speed. The other crusaders followed suit, galloping purposely back to the bog.

* * *

"Dammit, you stupid overgrown multi-headed monster of a lizard, you're gonna have to try harder if you wanna eat me!" Jessie called out challenging from within one of the hydra's mouths. Jessie stood bent over within one of the hydra's mouths, his hands pushing up against the roof of its mouth, and his legs pushing down on the bottom. _If only I didn't have to carry all those apple baskets earlier, my arms are just ready to give way. _Jessie looked up at his shaky arms and gritted his teeth. _The moment they do, I'm dead. _

The hydra swung its head around, nearly dislodging Jessie from his position. _Crap, that nearly got me. _Jessie looked back over his shoulder and examined the dark abyss that awaited him. _Maybe if I let it swallow me I can lodge myself in its throat and- _

"Let him go you overgrown multi-headed monster of a lizard!"

"What?! Tiff?!" The weight of magic returned to Jessie's chest and surged within him. With renewed vigor, Jessie pushed up against the roof of the hydra's mouth, making the opening wide enough for him to see Tiff and Scootaloo standing boldly in front of the hydra.

"Girls! What are you two doing here?! And what are you doing copying my insult?! Get your own!"

"What?!" Tiff cried incredulously. "Do you really care about that ?!"

"Of course not! Now you girls get out of here!"

"No can do!" Scootaloo declared, giving him a salute akin to that of Rainbow Dash. The other hydra heads were simply watching the human in one of their mouths and the little filly's converse, confused by the comical nature in which they communicated. Scootaloo then scooped up a muddy rock and threw it at the hydra, which then bounced off one of its heads, provoking it. Tiff and Scootaloo then darted away with the hydra hot in pursuit.

"You girls are crazy!" Jessie called out, still struggling to keep the hydra's mouth open. The girls led the hydra through a forested part of the bog, skillfully maneuvering through the foliage whilst the hydra trampled everything underneath.

Sweetie Belle was positioned on top of a large boulder, peering through a pair of binoculars. Beneath her was Apple Bloom, holding onto a rope connected to a simple swing system set up within the trees.

"You see them yet?" Apple Bloom asked, looking up at Sweetie Belle.

Sweetie Belle nodded. "I see them, but the hydra isn't within the trap's range yet." Sweetie Belle then gasped, causing Apple Bloom to look back up at her.

"Now?"

"No!"

"Then what was that for?"

"It's Jessie!" Sweetie Bell answered. "He's in the hydra's mouth!"

"In the mouth?!" Apple Bloom repeated incredulously, "Does this mean the plan is scrapped?"

Sweetie Bell removed her eyes from the binoculars and pursed her lips in thought. "No, if anything, we need the plan to work now more than ever. Otherwise, he might be coming out the other end rather than its mouth."

Apple Bloom looked down in thought, trying to figure out what Sweetie Belle meant. Her eyes enlarged and looked at Sweetie Bell with a disgusted face. "Sweetie Belle, that's just morbid. And nasty."

"Get ready!" Sweetie Belle cried, ignoring Apple Bloom's remark. Apple Bloom bit into the rope, ready to pull at a moment's notice.

"Are we there yet?" Scootaloo asked. She and Tiff were still running from the hydra, seven of the heads trying to reach the fleeing fillies, and the eighth one still trying to bite down on Jessie.

"Almost," Tiff looked back over her shoulder, noticing her brother slowly disappearing behind the teeth of one of the hydra's heads as it began to overpower him, "just have to get past this stretch of bushes and…"

"Now!" Sweetie Belle called down to Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom tugged at the rope, causing a large log to descend and swing horizontally through the trees. Tiff and Scootaloo hopped out of the way in the nick of time, and the log struck the hydra square on the side, toppling it over. Jessie was sent flying from the mouth and into a pond of bog water. The four fillies ran to the pond and watched as bubbles began to emerge from the center, followed by Jessie.

Jessie spat out some water that had entered his mouth and grimaced. "Ugh, bog water, tastes like water, dirt, gravel, salt, and fish oil."

"Ew, fish oil," chimed Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle.

Jessie rolled his eyes. "Yeah, of course that part would disgust you." He looked over to where the toppled hydra lay, watching it as it struggled fruitlessly to get off its side. "We should probably get out of here before it gets up."

Jessie pulled himself out of the pond and attempted to shake himself dry, splashing the fillies with water.

"Actually," Scootaloo spoke up, tugging at his shorts to get his attention, "there's one more thing we should do here." Jessie looked at Scootaloo with an elevated eyebrow, who smiled at him with pseudo-innocence.

"It doesn't feel right, taking the egg the mother tried so hard to defend." Jessie carried a large white egg, roughly the size of a beach ball, cradling it in his arms.

"It's alright," Scootaloo assured him, "according to the monster hunting book, hydras are extremely dangerous. We're doing Ponyville a favor by turning this egg in to the OFWLC."

Jessie stopped walking, causing the fillies to stop as well. "Monster hunting? Don't tell me that's what you girls were actually doing in the swamp?"

"Um," Scootaloo hesitated.

"Er, that is…" Sweetie Belle dithered.

"A story for another time?" Apple Bloom finished, giving him a bashful smile. Jessie gave her a disproving look then shifted his gaze towards Tiff.

"Tiff?"

Tiff closed her eyes and lowered her head in submission. "I'm sorry brother. It's just that I finally made some friends for once and I didn't want to disappoint them and…"

"It's not your fault Tiff!" Scootaloo interrupted.

"Yeah, that's right!" Apple Bloom agreed.

"We all pressured her in our way, we should all be sorry!" Sweetie Belle added.

A small smile appeared on Jessie's face, though he did his best to hide it. "Well then, Tiff," Jessie bent to a knee and placed the egg down before patting his sister lightly on her bowed head, "it's alright. I understand what you're dealing with, wanting to make a nice impression on your friends. But remember, having to do dangerous things with your friends just so they can like you means they're not good friends at all."

"We're sorry…" Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Bell apologized collectively, bowing their heads in the same manner as Tiff.

"We didn't mean to pressure her!"

"We don't wanna be bad friends!"

"And we still want Tiff to hang out with us!"

"We're sorry!" They apologized once more.

Jessie's smile broadened and he stood back up, carrying the egg, and began walking once more. The fillies followed him, steps behind.

"So… are we in trouble?" Sweetie Bell asked as they neared Ponyville.

"Well… I've never been good with punishments, so I'm not going to punish you girls," Jessie said. The girls began to exchange glances and smile. "But," he continued, "That doesn't mean you girls are off the hook. I'll be telling your families about the dangerous stunt you girls pulled, and they will deal with you girls as they see fit. As for you Tiff, maybe Twilight could help me out with a punishment."

"Aww," The girls moaned altogether.

* * *

Tiff was now in her room, sleeping on her bed, exhausted from the massive amount of homework Twilight had given her as punishment for her brash actions, with another stack waiting for when she wakes up in the morning. Jessie and Twilight were outside, once again looking up at the sky for the sake of their promise to Princess Luna.

"So, after a hard day of carrying apple baskets you ended up getting into a fight with a hydra. You just love getting into fights with things more than twice your size, don't you?" Twilight joked, nudging him in the ribs.

"Ow," Jessie cringed, "my entire body's sore after trying to stop myself from getting eaten. Not a bad workout though, not that I appreciate it."

"Well, don't worry, tomorrow I'll see to it your sister is properly punished, I've got worksheets about magical theory just waiting to be filled up."

"Actually," Jessie spoke up, "maybe we can hold off on her magical studies for a bit."

"Huh? Why would we do that?" Twilight inquired.

"I just think that it's a little much, y'know, I mean…" Jessie trailed off when Twilight gave him a look that demanded a proper answer. Jessie lowered his head submissively. "Okay, okay, I want Tiff to hold off on getting her Cutie Mark. Not that it wouldn't be great and all!" Jessie leaned away from Twilight and raised his hands defensively in preparation for any retaliation.

Twilight gave him a knowing smile. "You want her to spend more time with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. I get it." Twilight turned back to the night sky and leaned against Jessie, eliciting his usual reaction of stiffening up on. "I was never one for making friends when I was her age. You're a good brother Jess."

"Haha, yeah…" Jessie nervously responded, his stance still rigid. Twilight pulled away and headed back to the library entrance.

"I'll be going back in, good night Jess." She gave him a smile that caused him to redden completely, and Jessie thanked Luna the night was so dark.

Jessie turned away and chose to lie down, placing his hands behind his head.

"She has you quite enamored doesn't she?" A regal voice sounded from behind him. Jessie shot upwards and rolled into a lowered fighting stance, though loosened up and stood straight up when he found the source to be none other than the Princess of the Night.

"Princess Luna," he acknowledged, bowing his head.

"Please, no need for titles, just call me Luna."

"Luna," Jessie corrected himself, giving her a grin.

"I see you really are living up to your promise, what do you think of this night?" Luna raised a hoof upwards, indicating the sky.

"It's beautiful as always. I noticed you made the stars within the constellations shine in such a way that the rays connect adjacent stars together, making the constellation easier to identify."

"Oh you noticed that?" Princess Luna asked cheerily. Jessie gave her an amused look, and Luna, suddenly remembering her stature, composed herself. "Er, yes, well, that is appreciated."

"What can I do for you, Luna?" Jessie probed, sitting back down onto the grass.

"Nothing, I just wish to know how you and your sister are doing, does Equestria suit you two well?"

Jessie's thoughts flashed to the events earlier that day with the hydra. "We love it here," Jessie said, giving her a half-hearted grin.

"You're lying through your teeth."

"Not entirely," Jessie said defensively," it's just a little hard to adjust to some of the fauna around here."

"Do be careful now," Princess Luna warned, "it wouldn't do us much good if you were to become lunch for some creature before the fated day."

"Will do princess."

"Luna."

"Princess Luna."

"_Just _Luna."

"Princess _Just _Luna."

"Ugh." Luna placed her hoof over her face, exasperated. Jessie laughed heartily and wrapped an arm around Luna, hugging her cheerily. "Huh, I thought you had intimacy issues, but it looks like only Twilight can bring out that reaction from you," Princess Luna stated.

"What do you mean?" Jessie asked, ending the hug.

"Oh nothing." Princess Luna's wings spread open, and she ascended a few feet into the air. "I thank you for the kind gesture, and I fare thee a good night." She then took off away from Ponyville, leaving a bewildered Jessie on the ground, trying to guess the meaning behind her words in regards to his reactions towards Twilight.

* * *

Princess Luna landed on the balcony to her room, where Princess Celestia stood, waiting for her. "So how are things, Luna?"

"The seed had been planted if that's what you are asking sister," Princess Luna answered, brushing past her sister.

Celestia looked at her sister with a frown. "Luna, what's wrong?"

"This plot of yours, I don't like it."

"There's no need to give my plan such a negative connotation my dear Luna." Celestia approached her sister and wrapped a reassuring leg around Luna's shoulders.

"How can we even be sure it'll work? They're too different," Luna continued, moving out of her sister's embrace and settling unto the large pillow in the center of her room. "To rely on such an uncertain plan, I do not like it."

"It is normally the differences between individuals that creates the chemistry needed for romance."

"But they're _too _different," Luna countered. Celestia stood in front of Luna then lowered herself down to her sister's eye level.

"Love often finds a way Luna," Celestia said sagely. Princess Luna rolled her eyes and looked away from her older sister.

"Such romanticism…" Luna muttered.

"We've seen the power of love Luna. We're going to need it now more than ever. The evil that threatens are our land must not be ignored, and we need whatever advantage we can get."

"Baade… Why does he want to destroy Equestria? It can't simply be because of revenge."

Celestia stood back up and turned away from her sister. "Call it... human nature, if you will."

"There's something you're not telling me," Princess Luna pointed out.

Celestia turned her head back to Luna and gave her a sad smile. "That is a story for another time Luna."


	8. Anticipation

**Note from the author: Wanted to get this chapter up earlier but some things came up. Not sure if I can promise the next chapter within the usual 7-9 days though I will try my best to get it within 10-12 days. **

* * *

With sparkling brilliance, the stars in the blue-black night sky twinkled enthusiastically, complementing the beaming moon and its radiant lunar rays. Down below, glistening in the starlight stood a breath-taking woman, slim and tall, walking purposefully through the badlands. Her skin was an angelic-white, almost resembling porcelain. Her hair was long and was two shades of light blue, light green, and a faded pink, possessing a perpetual flowing movement, and seemed to glitter much like the stars in the sky. Hey eyes were a magnificent magenta, and seemed to peer into one's soul. She was dressed in a simple strapless white blouse that contoured to her hourglass figure, crowned in a golden tiara, and wore golden open-toed shoes. Her movements were graceful, and she carried herself with regality.

She neared an orbed staff, impaled into the ground. The orb was green, emerald, but didn't sparkle with any luminescence, like a pearl that had lost its luster. She extended a hand towards the staff, and as she neared it, a sudden green spark shot out from the orb and shocked her hand. She gasped and pulled back her hand, examining the small burn mark left on her dainty index finger.

"You're not going to be able to pull that staff out," a strong male voice called out. The woman quickly turned, her eyes scanning the darkness around her. A hand appeared on her bare shoulder, and once more she turned, shoving the hand away and revealing the source of the voice. She saw a handsome man with brown hair, a strong jawline, and a full-faced mustache and goatee that connected to his sideburns. He had a reddish complexion and was dressed in black robes, a stark contrast to her white blouse.

"Ba-Baade?" the woman stuttered, taking a step back from the man. The man she called Baade smiled and approached her, his hands laced cockily behind his back.

"I'm glad you remember this form," the man unlaced a hand and began to examine his fingernails casually, "how long has it been since you saw me like this? I still haven't any clue how many years, considering this land you founded uses a different set of years than we do."

The woman kept silent, glaring at Baade with tiger-like eyes. The man laughed unreservedly, his hands at his stomach as he exaggerated the gesture. "Come now my lady, surely you've been keeping track."

She continued to glare, but chose to answer as well. "Three thousand one hundred and fifty-two years." The man continued to smile at her, raising an eyebrow, insisting that she go on. The woman sighed and went on. "Four months, eight days, eleven hours, and I'm going to need a watch if you're going to want the minutes and seconds."

The man raised a hand indicating her answer was enough. "That's quite alright." He looked at her with a tender expression and took a step closer to her, the woman choosing to stay her ground. "Three thousand one hundred and fifty-two years," Baade said, looking over the woman's form with lustful eyes, "That is three thousand on hundred and fifty-two years too many."

"You know this isn't my true form," The woman replied coldly, her expression unrelenting.

"Of course not, but regardless you are beautiful, no matter your form," Baade began to circle her slowly, continuing to feast his eyes on the woman, "and I have always loved you, regardless of your shape, even now." The man stopped circling her and looked her in the eyes.

The woman ignored his comment, redirecting the topic. "What about you? Last time I saw you, you were-"

"Old, yes, I know, I was quite surprised when I first saw my reflection. When I was trapped within the void, I used the smallest amount of magic to slow down the aging process, whilst sustaining myself and gathering magical energy. Of course I couldn't put too much effort in the endeavor otherwise I would have ended up using more magic than I stored. In the end I still came out aged, though grateful I wasn't dead, but ever since I have returned, I've been using my magic to reverse the process. And now here I am, standing before you, in the form I was in when you, your sister, and the old one, Star Swirl, tossed me into the void." Baade walked closer to the woman, who was now having a hard time staring him down.

He lifted a hand to her face and gently caressed a cheek. "So soft. So beautiful. I have missed you, Celestia."

The legs of the woman began to tremble, her bottom lip quivered, and a small tear fell from the corner of her eye. "Why Baade, why must you destroy Equestria?" The woman called Celestia asked, her eyes looking at Baade beseechingly for a reasonable answer. A cold laugh escaped Baade as he turned away from Celestia.

"For my people," he answered, his back turned to her.

"But destroying mine won't bring them back!"

"This is about righteousness!" He yelled, violently turning around and spewing his words at the woman's face. "Somebody must be punished for the extermination of my people!"

"The ponies in this land are not responsible for that! And it is _humanity's _fault that they were exterminated. They were far too dangerous, too ambitious, and threatened the safety of every creature here in this world!" she shouted back.

"You know as well as I do that's a lie! Yes, our population was increasing, as was our innovation, and knowledge. Yes perhaps we could have been seen as a threat, but we haven't done anything until the war began!" he countered, his voice belting out of him. Celestia wiped away a small droplet of spit that had flown from his mouth and unto her cheek.

"Your people failed to accept the terms of the sanctions and attacked us first! Anything we have done to your people was merely retaliation for humanity's actions." Celestia reasoned, continuing to stand her ground.

"You meant to stop our advance as a civilization, as a species! You ponies practically proposed to imprison us in our own cities!"

"There was no need to resort to violence, Baade," Celestia said with conviction, "why you would even suggest the human council to do so was beyond m. I take back what I said about humanity. It wasn't humanity's fault. _You _started the war that led to the extinction of your people. It was _your _fault!"

Baade turned away from her once more, taking a few steps away from her. "What happened to us Celestia?" he asked sadly, hands clenched into fists by his sides. "We… we used to do so much together. Perhaps… perhaps we were just too different."

"Don't be a fool. You started a war, a war that didn't need to happen. You have become a monster, one that I can never come to love anymore."

"Your words wound me, more than any spell, blade, or arrow can. It always hurts me when you lie."

"I do not lie!" she said raising her voice. Baade turned back to Celestia with a grin.

"Don't you now? So during our battle, you weren't holding back? During our battle, you were desperately hoping that whatever power you used against me, what was it called again? The Elements of Friendship? Well whatever, would defeat me, so you wouldn't have to do it yourself, am I right?"

"You overestimate my abilities, Baade."

"Do I now?" Baade approached Celestia once more, the expression on his face bemused. "It took everything I had to prevent myself from being blasted away by whatever magic you have used against me in our previous encounter. And whatever magic I have recovered I used to reverse my aging. I can sense your power and you can feel mine. We both know who would win should we come to blows now, you have an opportunity to wipe me off the face of your kingdom should you desire. Yet you do not, rather you come here, taunting me…" Baade's hands gently reached out towards her and he delicately placed them on her shoulders. Celestia made no attempt to resist. "…Seducing me, with your form." Baade's hands slowly descended from her shoulders to her hands, gliding teasingly along her arms. The sensation gave Celestia goose bumps.

He laced his fingers with hers and pulled her closer. "Celestia…" He said her name mournfully, his eyes looking into hers with longing. "I wish I didn't have to hurt you, but justice must be done."

"What you call justice, I call evil." Celestia tore away from Baade's grasp and turned away from him coldly. "You were right; perhaps I do still have feelings for you. But know this; the next time we meet, you shan't be let off so easily."

A chuckle left Baade. "The next time we meet, you won't have the power to back up those words my dear Celestia. And when your kingdom is in ruins, and it's very last city is burning down, you _will _be mine once more." Baade snapped his fingers, and within a blink he disappeared, leaving Celestia alone in the badlands. Upon feeling his presence leave, Celestia sank to her knees, burying her face within her hands, her body convulsing with every sob.

* * *

Jessie's stood outside the library, dressed in only shorts, his fists heavily bandaged as they pounded continuously against Applejack's borrowed bucking bag. Many of the town's residents had started to gather around, marveling at the speed in which his punches flew. Beads of sweat began to form at his brow as he picked up the speed, his arms now a blur. Then, during his assault, he pulled back his right fist far back, and fired a powerful punch at the bag. The bag absorbed the blow, then split open where the punch landed, sand pouring out the opening. This display of strength aroused cheers from the onlookers, and they dispersed as Jessie sat down to rest, drinking a bottle of water. From the crowd, Twilight emerged, and approached the pugilistic fighter.

"You're such a showoff aren't you?" Twilight tossed him a towel which landed atop his head as he continued to drink. Jessie removed the towel then stopped drinking, letting out a satisfied sigh. "You leave later this evening right?"

Jessie nodded and wiped his lips before getting up. "Yup, two days from now is the weigh in, and the following day is my match."

"Man, I wish I can go watch." The statement came from Tiff who was watching Jessie from a window in the library up above. "Do I really have to go to school?"

"Yes, you have to Tiff," Jessie said, looking up at the filly sticking her head out the window. "But it'll be alright; you already have friends and Cheerilee is 'sweet and kind', as the song goes."

"I thought I was going to continue my magic lessons with Twilight?"

"That's been put on hold sweetie," Twilight answered her. "It's not that you're not doing a good job, but you're going to need a proper educational foundation before we can continue with your magical studies."

"That's right," Jessie added, "You gotta be a super nerd to reach Twilight's level." He nudged Twilight, snickering.

Twilight leered at him. "Oh? Aren't you already a super geek Jess? Mister acid to water? All you have to do is work on your magic."

Jessie gave her a shrug and began rubbing the back of his head. "Eh, don't really feel like it. I don't even know how I came to have magic."

"Oh yeah, that's right. Why _do _you have magic, or rather _how _did you get it." Twilight placed at hoof at her chin as she began to think. Jessie mimicked the action and the two stood there, deep in thought.

"Hey what's everypony thinking about?!" Bounding in seemingly out of nowhere was Pinkie Pie, hopping in between the two during their reverie. "Well well well? Tell me tell me tell me!"

"Oh hey Pinkie, we were just thinking about where Jessie got his magical powers," Twilight told Pinkie Pie.

"Oh is that all?" Pinkie Pie walked up to Jessie and examined him with extreme interest. Jessie stood in place, curious as to how Pinkie Pie would deduce this information. "I got it!"

"Oh?"

"This I'd like to hear," Jessie said with an amused smile.

"A magical spider must've bitten Jessie giving him magical powers!"

_Does that make me Peter Parker? _Jessie thought to himself.

"Oh by the way, Jess, I got a favor to ask you once you're in the human world," Pinkie Pie informed, jumping onto his back and wrapping her hooves around his neck. "I want some sweets from the human world; I'd absolutely love to try some!"

"Hmm," Jessie mumbled, pursing his lips, "well, that's not really a problem, though they're not much different than those here… But then again I'm going to Japan; they have some unique confectionary products there."

"Does that mean you'll do it?" Pinkie asked, jumping off his back and looking at him face to face with hopeful eyes.

"Of course, actually, maybe I'll bring a little bit of something for everypony."

"Really? Awesome!" This response came from Rainbow Dash who was flying right above. Next to her was Fluttershy, and on the ground below approached Rarity and Applejack.

"Hey there sugar cube, we came t'see you off. Break a leg, but, y'know, don't actually break a leg, it bein' a fight and all." Applejack gave him a confident punch on his side.

"Try not to hurt yourself too much darling," Rarity advised, "it would be a shame if those scars were to open up again."

"We believe in you," Fluttershy said, flying in closer to Jessie and giving him a hug around the shoulders.

"Yeah, beat down the big fat meanie weenie teeny head!" Pinkie Pie began shadow boxing in excitement, playfully tossing punches at Jessie while standing on her back legs.

Jessie gave her an awkward expression. "Yeah, Pinky, the person I'm fighting isn't really a meanie weenie teeny head. He's a good man, and we're just fighting for sport. And money of course."

"Doesn't matter! Just beat him up so he won't mess with you ever again!" Rainbow Dash descended to the ground and began to playfully box with Pinkie Pie, and Jessie watched, amused at the two as they threw their hoofs at each other with wild swings and awkward jabs.

"What's all this I hear of beating somepony up?" Mayor Mare asked, walking up to the group. "Ambassador, I have some things to discuss with you, but it appears that you are leaving for, what I understand it, a fight I believe?"

Everypony froze at the mayor's sudden appearance. "Er, you see, uh mayor," Jessie stuttered his mind quickly forming a lie, "I didn't want to let you know because of how barbaric you might think of my people but, we sort of decide our leaders and who holds positions of power within our uh… society, by uh… fighting, yeah…" He gave the mayor a bashful grin.

The mayor peered at him with a raised eyebrow before giving him a soft smile. "Well, I suppose that is one way to elect a leader. I'm in no position to judge your race. Well, I suppose you don't have time to speak before you go, so I'll talk to you after you come back." The mayor waved him farewell and walked away.

"Well, that was a close one," Jessie said, wiping the sweat that formed on his forehead, not from his workout, but from his encounter with the mayor.

Twilight nodded in agreement. "You're telling me, when you get back we should have you do more ambassador-like things, rather than just working for us. We should probably have you use the crystal ball outside of the town as well, if somepony sees you enter the library and notice you haven't come out for some time, they might get suspicious."

"Good idea."

Within a few hours, Jessie was ready, clothed and ready to depart. He was just outside Ponyville accompanied by Tiff and Spike, the pink crystal that was Jessie method of travel resting in the chest carried on Spike's back between his shoulder blades.

"Now you be a good girl when class starts in a few days okay? I don't want to be receiving any negative notes from Ms. Cheerilee." Jessie bent down to a knee and ruffled Tiff's mane in a brotherly manner.

"Yeah yeah," Tiff waved away his hand in an equally annoyed younger sister-like fashion, "Before you come back, could you get me some chicken nuggets? I've been wanting some for a bit."

"Haha!" Jessie laughed heartily, ruffling his sister's mane even more. "So you've been craving meat too, huh sis?"

"Nuh-uh, not like you've been. I just want nuggets."

"What are these chicken nuggets she's talking about, are they really made from chickens?" Spike asked, leaning in towards Jessie. "Y'know, I've eaten a cockatrice before, the best tasting bit was the chicken half. Could you bring some for me too?"

"I'll bring enough for both of you," Jessie said giving them a smile and a thumbs up. "Oh and Tiff, if you get any harassment from any other ponies there, give 'em a piece of your mind, will ya?" Jessie then reached out for the crystal orb on Spike's back, and pressed his hand against it. After a brilliant flash, he vanished from Equestria.

* * *

"I don't think it's just a coincidence that you two have the same flight as I do, especially now that I know we're all sitting in the same row." Jessie's right eye twitched as he addressed the couple that was already seated in their seats. Jessie was onboard the plane that would give him his fourteen hour flight from the Big Apple to Narita, Japan. The couple he was talking to was none other than Mindy and Mendel, who beamed at him with smiles that suggested there was more going on. "And now that I look at my ticket," Jessie continued, "_I'm _supposed to have the window seat." Jessie gave a frown towards Mindy who was sitting in his seat, giving him an awkward smile.

"Oh chill out Jess, besides, the aisle seat means it's easier for you to use the restroom."

"It also means I have to get up whenever one of you two needs to use the restroom…" Jessie grumbled. "Well whatever." Jessie tossed his duffel bag into the storage compartment above them and sat down next to Mendel. "Seeing as how you were comfortable enough to take my seat, I take it you knew in advance that I was going to be sitting there?"

"You mean you don't know?" Mendel asked, giving him an incredulous look.

"Well that figures," Mindy chimed in, "you never read any of the messages I give you."

"That's because you always end up delivering all of them to me. Didn't I tell you to ignore the pointless ones?" Jessie argued.

"They all look important to me! How am I supposed to tell which ones you ignore and which ones you don't?"

"Now now," Mendel intervened, raising his hands between them "don't get angry at each other, we're all part of the same team."

"Why don't you two just tell me what's going on already," Jessie said, running his fingers through his hair exasperated.

Mindy gave him an apologetic smile. "Look into our bag, you'll see." Looking at the two warily, Jessie got up from his seat, took out the other duffel bag from the overhead compartment, sat back down, and zipped it open. He found two blue collared shirts, one large, one small, and on the back of both read "Santiago".

"… Don't tell me that-"

"That's right," Mendel interjected cheerily, "we're going to be working your corner!"

"Your man Chaz got the idea when I told him your sister wouldn't be coming. So he figured instead of squeezing two free tickets out of your sponsor, to have us come in and work as your cornermen!" Mindy informed him.

"Is that so…" Jessie placed the duffel bag back overhead, and took his seat once more. "He's not paying you guys, is he? Because I'm not exactly making a killing with every fight …"

Mendel and Mindy shook their heads and a relieved sigh left Jessie's lungs. Jessie leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, waiting for the flight to begin.

"Y'know, I have a question," Mendel spoke up, "what's Mindy handling your messages for anyways? What're you doing in New York?"

Jessie quickly glanced at Mindy who shrugged at him. "Eh, secret training," Jessie quickly fibbed, "Met Mindy at comic-con, learned where she lived and I hired her to handle a few things for me while I undergo some secret training."

Mendel looked at Jessie with an elated expression. "Wow! Secret training? Did you meet some old has-been trainer who still has a few tricks to teach? Or is it an underground fight club? Oh wait, first rule of fight club is not to talk about fight club, okay, don't talk, but if there is, give me a signal like blink a few times or…"

_It's going to be a long flight… _

"_**Ladies and Gentlemen, the fasten seatbelt sign is now lit, indicating we are ready for takeoff. I am your pilot…" **_

* * *

"Captain Shining Armor, I want your guard on constant surveillance around Canterlot, no magical shields however, we do not need to display our suspicions outwardly, is that understood?" The command had come from Prince Luna who was giving orders to Shining Armor at the entrance of the castle.

"Yes your highness!" Shining Armor affirmed, giving her a salute.

"And make sure to coordinate with the messengers of the continental guard. Tell them to report anything suspicious to whomever you put in charge, and to have that pony send me a written report of what has been reported to him or her every hour on the hour."

Shining Armor saluted once more, bowed, than ran off, shouting orders to various nearby guards ponies.

"Putting the entire kingdom under surveillance from what I understood, Luna?" Princess Luna looked over her shoulder to see that it was her sister Princess Celestia that had asked her the question.

"Jessie will be leaving for a few days to handle some matters in the human world. During this time Baade may coincidentally strike, and we are without our trump card. I will not give that despicable being the pleasure of catching us off guard sister," Princess Luna answered Celestia.

"Yes, perhaps it is best to be cautious," Princess Celestia walked up to her sister, "though we mustn't assume that if Baade were to attack now, it would all be coincidence."

Princess Luna began to regard her surroundings apprehensively. "So you're saying that Baade knows of Jessie?"

Celestia placed a comforting hoof on Luna's shoulder. "No, not at this moment. But if Baade does make a move, we must assume that it was calculated, Baade does not leave things to chance."

"You seem so sure."

"I had many opportunities to get to know how his mind works," Celestia said, removing her hoof from Luna's shoulder and gazing off to the side, her eyes distant.

"Sister?"

"Er, um, from the experiences in the war that is," Celestia recovered.

"I see…" Luna's attention was diverted when a Pegasus Pony descended from the sky and towards the princesses.

"Your highness, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza has set up defensive units and scouts around the Crystal Empire. She has also set up bands of Crystal Pony legionnaires around the winter tundra that encompasses the empire," the Pegasus reported to her.

Princess Luna nodded her head and the Pegasus saluted before flying away.

"To even involve the Crystal Empire, Jessie's leave has certainly unsettled you," Celestia stated, looking at Luna with worried eyes. Luna looked at her sister for a brief moment before turning away.

"It's not just that Jessie is gone," Luna said, "but last night, I could have sworn I felt Baade's presence within the castle."

Celestia's eyes widened. "What?! Where?!"she asked hysterically. Luna took a step away from her sister due to Celestia's intensity.

"In your room, but when I came in to check, I just saw you sleeping on the floor."

"Oh, is that all…" Princess Celestia turned from Luna and began to walk back towards the castle.

"In your human form," Luna added, causing Celestia to pause in place. "Its fine sister, I've no interest in knowing what's going on in your head, or rather, I'd rather not know. Ignorance is bliss, or so they speak."

"Luna…"

"I… I have things to attend to." Luna unfurled her wings and soared into the sky. Celestia watched with a saddened expression as her sister flew away.

"I'm so sorry Luna," Celestia said to herself, "I promise I will tell you everything in due time." She resumed her walk back into the castle. Soon she was at her room, looking around guardedly.

_It's true_, she thought to herself, _Baade was here. It's as if he left his mark here on purpose. _She continued to look around her room suspiciously when a small glint appeared within her vision, catching her attention. The twinkle had come from the top of her dresser, in front of the mirror. As she drew closer to find the source of the glinting, a small gasp escaped her, because there, on top of the dresser, was a golden ring adorned with a dazzling diamond, humble in its size, but bold in its luminescence.

"This is…" Without giving it a second thought, she used her magic to lift up the ring and to adorn her horn with it. She gazed at herself in the mirror momentarily before shutting her eyes and shaking her head. _What am I thinking? This is obviously a trick. Baade was always a clever one. Always calculating. Thinking. Thoughtful… _She opened her eyes and examined her reflection once more. _I wonder if… _Celestia looked back to her doorway, using her magic to close it shut. She then closed her eyes, surrounding herself in a golden glow.

Her form began to slim down, her hindquarters receding as she shrunk a few inches. Her horn slowly disappeared, along with the ring, and arms began to sprout from her shoulders. Her flank has effectively disappeared, turning into a shapely bottom. Her remaining hooves took the shape of feet, individual toes sprouting. After a minute her transformation was complete, and once again, like the night in the badlands, she was human, though this time she wore no clothes.

Even in her own room, Celestia still felt the need to preserve her human form's modesty, and so pulled out a sheet from her dresser and wrapped her body in it. She poked out her left hand from the opening and examined her ring finger. There, having shrunk to accommodate the size of her finger was the very same ring. She lifted it towards her face and gingerly pressed her lips against, her eyes closing, tears flowing from the corners as the memories all came flooding back to her.

"_Geez Baade, where are you taking me?" Baade held her hand as they ran through the woods. It was the late afternoon, the sky hinting at the color orange. The two of them were young at this point in time, both in their late adolescence, Baade's face lined with stubble, and Celestia's form just on the cusp of womanhood. _

"_Well, fine, if you want me to ruin the surprise, I'll tell you," he replied to her. He slowed to a walk, though he still held Celestia's hand. Celestia looked at him, her lips pursed as she waited for an answer. _

"_Well?" she asked impatiently. Baade turned back to look at her._

"_Oh, I was waiting for you to tell me whether or not you wanted the surprise ruined." _

"_Of course I do you idiot!" _

_Baade looked up thoughtfully before looking back at her and sticking his tongue out mockingly. "Nah, I'll just keep it a surprise anyways. Oof!" Celestia delivered a quick punch to his side. _

"_Idiot, doing such arbitrary things with me." _

"_You'll thank me later," Baade assured her, rubbing his side sorely. They neared a trail that led up the side of a small mountain. _

"_Don't tell me we have to climb now…" Celestia looked up the trail that snaked its way up the mountain with dismay. _

"_Don't tell me the poor little princess is afraid of ascending a mountain?" he teased. Celestia punched him in the side once more, causing him to buckle over. _

"_Of course I dislike the thought of climbing a mountain. Normally I'd fly over it, so my stamina in this form is pretty low." _

"_Well if that's the case," Baade recovered and in one dramatic movement, swept Celestia off her feet and carried her in a bridal manner within his arms, "perhaps I'll carry you to our destination like the princess you are." _

"_Idiot, here you are being arbitrary with me again."_

"_Idiot, idiot, idiot!" Baade mocked. "Always calling me an idiot. It's a wonder that I like you so much." _

"_Don't say such things so casually, idiot!" _

"_There's that 'idiot' again…" _

_Baade bore her up the mountainside, following the trail. Celestia had her arms wrapped around his neck, tightly, doing her best to seem lighter than she actually was. A strain began appeared at his back, and he hunched over, pressing Celestia closely to his chest. _

"_Ah! Don't be doing such intimate things in such a setting, people might see us!" Celestia began to push away from Baade who was hunched over._

"_I'm not trying to do anything, stupid, try losing some weight some time." _

_Celestia's jaw dropped as she looked at Baade astonished. "You. Never. Ever. Ever. Call. A girl. Fat!" she shouted, emphasizing each word with a hammer fist against his shoulder. _

"_I didn't call you fat, I called you stupid," he blithely replied. Once they reached top, Celestia's eyes broadened. There atop the mountain, was a small lake, sparkling from the sun's rays. Extending from where the path ended to the center of the lake was a small pier. Baade carried her across to the end of the pier before putting her down by the side, allowing her feet to soak in the water. "There, see, not too bad right?" he bragged, giving her a wink. _

"_It's lovely," Celestia marveled. She bent down and ran her hand through the water, gliding her fingers tips across the smooth surface. The sky, which before was a soft tint of orange, now yielded to a reddish-orange hue. "So, bringing me all the way out here, with the sun setting, just what are your intentions?"_

"_I just wanted to show you something beautiful, that's all," he answered. He sat down beside her and cupped her free hand in his, Celestia accepting the contact. _

"_Well, it is amazing." The pair watched as the sun descended beneath the horizon of the woods. "Soon the sun will be my responsibility. I'm not sure if I can handle it."_

"_Of course you can, I believe in you." Baade wrapped an arm around her and made her lean against him._

"_B-Baade!" Celestia stuttered. A cheerful laugh escaped Baade. _

"_Celestia, you're really cute when you're flustered." Baade's compliment caused her to blush, increasing her agitation, and amusing Baade all the more. The sun was now barely peeking over the horizon, the light it shone on the world waning. _

"_The sun's about to depart, we should be getting back." Celestia got out of Baade's arm and stood up. _

"_Leave? But you still didn't get to see it yet!"_

"_Isn't this lake the thing you wanted to show me?"_

"_Well yeah but," Baade stood up and held Celestia's hands, "you have to wait for nightfall." _

_Celestia rolled her eyes. "Baade, is this really necessary?"_

"_Yes, just trust me, it'll be worth it." Baade gave her a warm smile and Celestia looked at him doubtfully. His smile turned pathetic, puppy-like, and with an aggravated groan Celestia sat back down. Baade clenched his fist in victory and took his seat next to Celestia. As the sun blinked away and the moon took its place in the sky, Celestia turned to Baade._

"_So what shall I see?"_

"_Just wait."_

_As the moonlight touched the water, the water beamed, and the teenage couple was surrounded by a radiant silver light reflecting off the surface of the water. The lake was now like a silver mirror contrasting with the darkness of the night, the moon's twin on the land. _

"_And here you have it Celestia. The second most beautiful thing in the world." _

_Princess Celestia was now standing, marveling at the magnificence that encompassed them. "I can think of nothing more beautiful than this."_

"_You merely have to look down," Baade said slyly. Celestia did as was suggested looked down into the pool of water. _

"_I don't get it. All I see is my…" Celestia trailed off when she understood. "Oh I get it, you flatterer." Celestia walked towards the sitting Baade and sat back down next to him. "A marvelous display done by the moon's light. I'm sure Luna would have appreciated this sight much more than I." _

"_Maybe," Baade said, "but I'm not in love with Luna." _

"_Again with the flattery…" _

"_Flattery?! _That's _how you respond to a confession?"_

"_It's hardly a confession when it's already known." Celestia crossed her arms and looked away from him huffily. _

_Baade smiled tenderly at her and emitted a soft whistle. The whistle attracted a small group of birds than landed onto a nearby tree sticking out of the edge of the mountain top. Then softly, the birds began to sing, picking up the volume as they continued their song. "Well what do you know, a group of birds have decided to serenade us with a ballad," Baade remarked. "We mustn't let such a beautiful melody go to waste, Celestia, do you care to dance?" _

"_Here?"_

"_Oh heavens no." Baade stood up and took a step onto the water, causing a light ripple, though his foot didn't sink. He took another with the other foot, and now both feet were on the water. "We have the most exquisite dance floor, all to ourselves." _

"_I… I don't think I can use that kind of magic yet." _

_Baade extended a hand towards Celestia. "Take my hand, and I promise I won't let you fall." Doubtfully, Celestia stood up and placed her hand within his. She took a small step towards the water, her toe testing the solidity of the water. Unconvinced, she looked at Baade and gave him a frown. He gave her a promising smile. "I swear I will not let you fall." _

_Steeling herself, Celestia placed her entire foot upon the water's surface. Though slightly unstable, it held her weight, and she gingerly placed her other foot on the surface as well. Holding onto her hand, Baade led her to the center of the lake. "As long as you hold on to me, you won't fall in the water." They took up a ballroom dancing stance, his right and her left hand cupped, with her left on top, and his left and her right hand laced. With Baade leading, they began to move about over the water, dancing to the tune the little birds sang. _

_Celestia regarded him with a mindful eye. "Something tells me you planned it this way." _

"_Hmm, maybe," he said evasively. He looked into Celestia's eyes and Celestia gave him a warm smile. "Celestia," he said her name tenderly, "in regards to my confession…" _

"_That wasn't a confession."_

"_In regards to my confession," he continued adamantly, arousing a giggle from Celestia, "what do you say?" _

"_Oh? I believe I wasn't asked anything."_

"_Don't people, or in your case, ponies, say something back after being confessed to?" _

_Celestia changed their dancing stance, placing her hands on his shoulders, prompting him to place his hands on her waist. She then leaned in and rested her head against his chest. "Idiot," she said quietly, "as if it needs to be said." _

"Jessie-san! Okite kudasai!"

"Hm? Wha- huh?" Jessie's eyes fluttered open and he found himself to be lying on a bed and looking up at a pretty Japanese woman smiling down at him. She had shoulder length silky black hair, deep hazel eyes, and a pale complexion. "I uh, what? Who are you?"

"Watashi no namae wa Akira desu!"

"What..."

"She said her name was Akira," a familiar male voice spoke. Jessie turned his head and saw that standing in the doorway was none other than his right-hand man, Chaz. "Watashi no yorokobi wa, anata to shigoto," Chaz said to Akira, bowing in Japanese manner. She nodded and whispered something into Chaz's ear. He gave her a thumbs up and she smiled, waved at Jessie who nodded in response, and left the room.

"She is?" he Jessie asked, getting up from the bed.

"Akira."

"Yeah, I got that. But _who_ is she?"

"You don't read the messages I send, do you?" Chaz palmed his face while letting out a small groan.

"I already had this conversation with Mindy, just tell me."

Chaz crossed his arms as he regarded Jessie disapprovingly. "Akira is our new sponsor, now come, we're going to get you fitted for a new mouth guard, y'know, the expensive fitted ones you don't have to bite into." Chaz went out the doorway and beckoned Jessie to follow. As they walked down the hallway, Jessie worked out that they were in a hotel, four-star at the very least. As the rounded a corner, Chaz stopped walking.

"What's up Chaz?"

"Before we go, there are just some things I want to address…"

Jessie crossed his arms and tapped his foot. "Well?"

"What the hell man!" Chaz suddenly cried hysterically. He had taken a hold of Jessie and began to shake him violently. "For some reason the muscles in your left arm has atrophied, your face has that ridiculous scar and," Chaz lifted up Jessie's shirt, "your body is covered in scars as well! What the hell happened to you in New York man?!"

_Do I have to come up with my third lie of the day?! _

* * *

"Mmhm, I see…" Chaz said, rubbing his chin with closed eyes as he tried to look accepting of Jessie's answer. They were sitting at a table directly outside a café, cups of java placed in front of them, right next to a busy Saitama City street. "So you got attacked by a mugger with a knife, fought him off, but ended up getting your arm broken in the process."

"That's right."

"Like hell I believe that!" In his anger, Chaz took his cup and splashed Jessie with its contents. Jessie, rather casually, took up a napkin and dabbed his face with it. "Well, if you really don't want to tell me, fine, I won't probe, but you better win this fight!"

"Yeah, yeah…"

"Daijobu desu ka?" their attending waitress asked them.

"Um-"

"Hai," Chaz replied, and the waitress smiled and bowed before walking away. "Hey, the waitress was pretty cute don't you think? She had a pretty big…" Chaz left his statement unfinished when he noticed Jessie staring off at nothing in particular, the look in his eyes distant. "Hey! Moron, I'm talking to you!"

"Huh? Sorry I was just, thinking about stuff."

"There's something wrong with you," Chaz pointed out, "normally you'd be ogling at all the Asian women with your creepy Asian fetish."

"It's not a creepy Asian fetish! It's natural for me to be more attracted to other Asians, that's all."

"Not that it matters," Chaz went on, "you don't seem to be interested in any women today."

"That's because I haven't seen any that interested me," Jessie countered.

Chaz looked at him incredulously. "Are you freaking kidding me?! Do they have to be naked to interest you?! Our waitress is a flipping ten! Are you blind?!"

"Is she? Huh, I didn't notice." Jessie turned away from Chaz and went back to staring at nothing.

"Wait a minute," Chaz began to speculate out loud. He squinted at Jessie and began to rub his chin thoughtfully. "That distant stare, the non-ogling of women, suddenly choosing to stay in New York… Don't tell me… I got it!" Chaz suddenly stood up from his seat and pointed a dramatic finger at Jessie.

Chaz's dramatic gesture caught Jessie's attention, though just barely. "Hm, you're paying?" Jessie misinterpreted.

"Well, yeah of course I am, I handle your money dummy, but what I'm saying right now is I know why you're acting all weird all of a sudden, there's a woman involved!"

"Hehe," Jessie laughed nervously, raising his palms towards Chaz to placate him, "there's no woman…"

"Don't lie to me Jess! I can always tell when you lie!"

_It's true, he can, _Jessie thought. _But there really is no woman, why would Chaz still pick up that I'm lying? Well, I guess there's _her _but… _

"And there it is!" Chaz declared, pointing at Jessie's face. "The expression you have when you think about something I said that just happens to be right!"

"Don't make it seem like I'm that easy to read!"

"I've been hanging around you since grade school; you're like an open book to me now."

"Tch, whatever…" Jessie looked away from Chaz once more, sipping from his cup of Java. Chaz continued to look at Jessie, concern evident on his face.

"Jess, so you haven't really been reading my messages?"

"Was there something that I had to see?" Jessie asked, finishing his drink and placing the empty cup back down. Chas scratched the back of his head apprehensively. "Well, spit it out Chaz."

"It's about the main event…" Chaz began, twiddling his fingers nervously. "It's a unification bout."

"That's interesting."

"Between an IBF champion and the one who holds the WBA and WBC titles, in your weight division."

Jessie's eyes widened at the news. "Wait a second, you're telling me that-"

"That's right," Chaz interrupted, "Your, er, I mean, Jessie Lee is putting his WBA title on the line and is fighting against Andrew Walker."

"That old man…" Jessie said to himself, seething. "If I had known that he would have been here, watching me, I would have trained much more seriously; I can't have that old bastard looking down on me!"

"I think he watches your fights anyways, regardless of whether he's fighting on the same night or not."

Jessie ignored Chaz and got up from his seat. "Hurry up and pay. We're gonna grab my mouth guard and find a gym, I am going to show that old man not to underestimate me."


	9. Contender

**Note from the author: An early update, though it comes at a small caveat D: The next update will most likely be coming after 14 days. I've just got a massive influx of papers and tests and projects (okay I'm lying, a lot of that stuff I've just been putting off) and it's going to take me some time to sort all of that out. Apologies to my readers ): I've also changed some of the inconsistencies I had in the first chapter (I mentioned winter wrap up but then a few days later I had the Summer Sun Celebration held, I'm an idiot.)  
**

* * *

The roar of the crowd was deafening as Jessie stood in his corner of the ring, staring directly at his opponent in the opposite corner. Lloyd Block. Block was a short but bulky African-American. His face was rather expressionless, his hair neatly trimmed high and tight, and his face was clean shaven.

_A habit he probably picked up from the Marines_, Jessie surmised. To his right, Chaz gave him some pre-match advice and Jessie pretended to listen.

"…And that's how you do it, got it?" Chaz finished. Jessie nodded in response.

"Got it."

"Good, now when we get back I expect you to be able to speak to our new sponsor using those Japanese phrases I just told you."

Jessie turned his head to Chaz, his eyes dilated. "What?! So you're saying you weren't giving me fighting advice?"

Chaz's hand flew and smacked the upside of the back of Jessie's head. "Idiot! You never listen!"

"Geez, hurting me before the match even starts, you're giving Lloyd there the advantage," Jessie said, rubbing the back of his head with his glove.

"You'll be fine," Chaz insisted, "you understand the importance of this match, don't you?"

Jessie looked at Chaz dumbly. "Um, maybe?" Chaz sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Just once will you listen to me… just once…" Chaz looked back at Jessie with furrowed brows. "You win this fight; you become a contender for the WBO title. Hell, if I bust my ass hard enough I'm pretty sure the next match I can get you will be against Igor Markov!"

_The WBO light heavy-weight title holder_, Jessie thought. Jessie turned back to his opponent and glared at him through tiger eyes. _Nothing personal Block, but I'm going to have to beat you down. _Jessie turned his head slightly to the right, giving him the smallest glimpse of the man he wanted to see. It was an older man, somewhere in his forties, though still very fit. His hair was thick, luscious, and blonde, though it had started to grey in some areas. The way his facial grew was similar to Jessie's.

_That old man, watching me as always. _The middle-aged man seemed to notice he had caught Jessie's attention and gave a smile. Jessie quickly averted his gaze. _Tch, I'll show that old man what I can do. _

"Seconds out!" the referee called. Chaz gave him a reassuring slap on the back before ducking out of the ropes.

"You can do it!" Mindy cheered.

"Show him what you're made of!" Mendel encouraged.

Jessie continued to stare down his opponent, eagerly anticipating the chiming of the bell.

* * *

_**Ding Ding Ding**_, the school bell chimed. The school-age ponies all began to flood into the school building, ready to be taught by Ponyville's primary education teacher, Cheerilee. As all the other fillies and young colts, Tiff, who was among the crowd, opted to stay out of the building.

"Uh, maybe I'll just go tomorrow…" she said to herself. As Tiff backed away from the building, her flank bumped into something. As she turned, she found it wasn't something, but rather somepony. It was mare with a cerise-colored coat, with a mane and tail colored in a paler, lighter cerise. Covering her flanks were three flowers with smiles at the center.

"Oh! You must be Tiff, your brother told me to watch out for you at school. I'm Cheerilee, your teacher." The mare that introduced herself as Cheerilee gave Tiff a welcoming smile.

"I… guess so…" Tiff hesitated.

"Well, you don't want to be late on your first day! Let's go inside." Cheerilee began pushing Tiff towards the school house, with digging her hooves into the ground, trying to stop her. Cheerilee didn't seem to notice as she enthusiastically pushed Tiff inside and walked to the front of the classroom.

"Good morning class! After a nice, long summer break, I'm glad to see all my students once more. I would also like to introduce to you all a new student that will be joining us today. Please make our new friend feel very welcome, Tiff!" Cheerilee made a dramatic gesture towards the left of her desk, presenting Tiff to the class.

"Um, hi everypony…" Tiff greeted the class meekly, her eyes staring at the ground.

"Pst, Tiff, over here!" A familiar friendly voice called out. Tiff looked up to find Apple Bloom waving at her and pointing at an empty seat next to her. Tiff eagerly ran up to the empty desk and sat behind it, hoof bumping Apple Bloom when she did.

"Now that everypony is settled down, it's time to move on to this morning's lesson. Who here is familiar with Star Swirl the Bearded?" Cheerilee asked, addressing the class from her chalk board after righting down Star Swirl's name and title on the board. The class remained silent, though Tiff slowly raised a hoof into the air. "Tiff then, would you kindly explain to the class who Star Swirl is?"

"I just know a little form what I learned from Twilight…"

"That's okay Tiff," Cheerilee reassured, "That's why we're having a lesson today. Just tell us what you know."

Tiff looked to Apple Bloom apprehensively, who then gave her a comforting wink. "You can do it," Apple Bloom whispered to her. Apple Bloom's encouragement brought a smile to Tiff's face, who then confidently turned her head back to Cheerilee.

"Ahem," Tiff cleared her throat, "Star Swirl the Bearded is one of the, if not the most prominent spell caster of the pre-classical era…"

* * *

_**Swish**_. The powerful left flew by Jessie's face, lightly grazing his ear as he swayed away from it. Lloyd then shot two rights at Jessie, who deflected the first, and skipped away from the other, putting distance between himself and Block.

_I have the reach advantage, so I could probably just keep him away, but… _

Lloyd rushed towards him, an overhand right flying dangerously fast towards Jessie. Jessie countered with a left jab, connecting against Lloyd's shoulder, causing the punch instead to strike Jessie's shoulder. Lloyd, unrelenting, followed up with a left uppercut. Jessie swayed back from the hit and as the punch flew upwards, Lloyd followed up with another blow, a fierce right cross. Jessie put up his arms in time, but due to his awkward position from swaying backwards, the blow, after hitting his arms, sent him to the ground. Jessie recovered in a flash and once more forced some distance between himself and Lloyd.

_I don't have the foot work to actually try that strategy. I should probably work on that. _Lloyd charged in once more, clearly taking advantage of Jessie's inability to exploit the reach advantage. This time, Lloyd opened up with a humble jab with his left.

_Something so simple is always hiding something more… _

Jessie deflected the blow, and with a deft step, Lloyd pressed in closer, bringing another overhand right closer to Jessie's face. Jessie countered with an upper cut from his right, hitting Lloyd first, and causing him to miss his overhand entirely as he fumbled away from the blow.

_At the very least he's predictable. In order to make up for his shorter height, his more powerful punches come in the form of overhands. I can try winning this fight through points but he might overwhelm me before the match ends. I should probably risk creating openings just so I can throw so heavier blows within the first few rounds so he's much more dazed in the later rounds. _

Jessie lowered his guard slightly, and Lloyd dashed in once more.

_Right on cue. _Jessie's right swung wide, but Lloyd ducked under it and fired a right of his own. Jessie dodged to the side, momentarily entering a southpaw stance and shot off a left cross. Lloyd wasn't confused by the stance change and nimbly swayed away from the hit while throwing a counter-cross of his own. Jessie deflected the hit and it became a repetitive pattern of dodging, deflecting, and countering punches between the two boxers.

_The pace just stepped up a bit._ The punches continued to fly until Lloyd skipped towards Jessie's right, once again throwing the overhand right.

_This is the moment! _ Jessie casually blocked the right with his own, and returned fired with a left hook. As his gloved fist made contact with Lloyd's face, Jessie's eyes widened as he felt something wrong. _The impact feels different. It's so… _

From barely within his vision, Jessie caught sight of the right upper cut that threated to take his feet off the ground. Jessie could hear the sound it made as it flew vertically upwards, nearly catching him under the chin as Jessie practically twirled to avoid the hit. After Jessie backed away from Lloyd, the bell rang, and he returned to his corner.

"Good job! A close one but I'm pretty sure that round was yours." Chaz gave him a confident slap on the shoulders as Mindy placed the water bottle straw in his mouth. Jessie nearly spat out his mouth guard out of habit, but remembered that with the new custom fitted one, it wasn't needed. Mendel had also started dabbing Jessie's face with a towel.

Jessie squinted at the other corner, trying to get a look at Lloyd's face, but Lloyd's cornerman was in the way. Jessie spat out the water after sloshing it in his mouth and sighed.

_My left hook, it was… it was so weak. I couldn't even stun Lloyd enough to stop him from throwing that uppercut. If that got me under the chin… _Jessie's thoughts were interrupted as the referee called the fighters back in. Jessie examined his left arm before walking back to the center of the ring.

_I guess I haven't built the muscles in my left arm completely yet. But then again it was just created from scratch a month ago. _Lloyd began to circle around him, in the familiar predator-like fashion the manticore he fought a month ago had done so. _And Lloyd knows this, or at the very least, his cornerman would have pointed it out. Dammit, I can't throw any lefts with knockout power which makes all my actions predictable to an extent. Even if I throw him off by continuing to fight in a southpaw stance, there's really no point since my left lacks power. Ah crap, damn that serpent and his damn lesson. _

Lloyd took a cautious step towards Jessie, and Jessie raised his guard. _Best thing I can do is just counter his attacks. He'll probably expect me to do so with my right, but I'll just catch him off guard with my left and score easy points. I'll fight like this for a while until I'm sure I've won the majority of the rounds. Then I'll just hide behind my guard. _

As was the usual, Lloyd made the first move and took a bigger step towards Jessie, his left fist about to swing from a low angle. _An uppercut?_ As Jessie prepared to dodge the blow, the angle of the punch lessened to a more horizontal plane. _A body blow? _Unable to prepare for the strike, the punch hit Jessie in the ribs, and in a flurry, three more punches, two from Lloyd's right and one more from the left found their targets on his torso.

The volley of punches caused Jessie to buckle over, putting Jessie's head within reach for a right hook from Lloyd. In desperation, Jessie leaned away from the hit, causing Lloyd's fist to catch him in the shoulder. The blow made Jessie stumble away, but otherwise, he was still in the fight.

_That would've been the end of me. _Jessie put up his guard once more and cautiously backed away from Lloyd. _He's stepped up his game. The speed and power of his attacks makes counters too risky. _

Lloyd continued to stalk Jessie, like a predator that had drawn blood, and he was eager to begin his meal. Lloyd continually threw small jabs at Jessie's guard, trying to pry open his defense and knock Jessie out. Between jabs, Jessie would side step, back step, and dodge unable to retaliate at the unmerciful volley Lloyd continually fired at him.

_Dammit. I have opportunities to counter but, he's already going to anticipate any resistance coming from my right. And if I try to surprise him with my left and just score points that way like I originally planned, it puts me at risk of being open since my left won't have any power. Trying to knock him out with my left so soon was a mistake, and I'm paying dearly for it now. _

Jessie felt his defenses crumbling under the intensity of Lloyd's attacks. His arms began to falter, and soon he was taking small jabs in the upper chest, and, when Lloyd could reach, to the face. Jessie was now backed into the corner, unable to return fire.

_This is only the second round, am I done for already? _Desperately, Jessie scanned the audience, looking for any sign of help or support. Rather, all he saw was the cheering of the crowd, encouraging Lloyd to take his head and stick it on a pike. His eyes fell upon the same blonde man he had looked at earlier, a disapproving frown on his face. The man shook his head and turned around, ready to depart.

_Don't you dare look down at me!_

Jessie's eyes took on a blood red color as he looked back at his opponent. Logic and reason gave way to fury as Jessie lowered his defenses. Jessie took several hits to the chest and face but ignored them as he began to swing back, his punches thrown in the form of haymakers, wild and wide swings swung with the strength of his entire body. Lloyd was pushed back, and this time it was his defenses that were up. Lloyd occasionally threw a counter punch that would hit Jessie, but Jessie would ignore the blow and exploit the opening.

Moments later, Jessie found himself being pushed away from Lloyd by the referee who was now standing between the two boxers. "The round is over! Get back to your corner!" the referee demanded.

"I, uh, oops." Jessie sat back in his corner, blushing in embarrassment.

Chaz stood before him, an unpleasant look on his face. "What was that?" he asked, looking down at his fighter with a furrowed brow.

Jessie shamefully kept his eyes to the ground. "I dunno. I just lost it for a second."

"Well, I guess you had to do what you needed to in order to get out of that corner but you gotta keep a level head, that's the kind of fighter you are, not the crazy balls-deep berserker I was just watching earlier."

Jessie nodded. "Yeah, you're right…"

"Lookit you, listening to my advice. This match really has you by the balls," Chaz said, giving Jessie a smirk. Jessie returned the expression and stood back up when the referee called them in again.

"A one-time thing Chaz." Jessie looked to the right and searched the audience and found the blonde man once more, who apparently had decided to stay after Jessie made his recovery. The expression on his face was now passive, though ready to make judgment.

_Old man, you better stay and watch. _

Jessie examined Lloyd's stance. He hid behind his arms and bounced lightly on his toes, ready to move at a moment's notice.

_I have to play it cool, go the distance, and win by point decision. I got the first round, but just to be safe, I should probably consider the second round a loss. He's sped up and getting points through counters isn't going to work. I lack footwork but there is one way to exploit my reach advantage, I just hope it works… _

Jessie stood in the orthodox stance, left foot side leading. He then extended his left arm outwards in a probing manner, telling Lloyd to back away, while keeping his right tucked in but ready to fire.

"This stance is…" Chaz murmured from the bench he sat on, flanked by Mendel and Mindy. Mindy looked at him inquisitively.

"What about this stance, it seems pretty typical to me."

"Exactly," Mendel spoke up, "this is _the _typical stance."

Mindy cocker her head to the side, clearly confused. "Okay, someone explain what makes this stance so special?"

"It's not special at all, that's the point," Chaz impatiently stated. "While in an orthodox stance or southpaw stance, you extend your leading arm, typically your weaker arm forward, and use it to keep your opponent away while using it for weak jabs to harass them, while keeping your more powerful arm pulled back ready to throw a more powerful punch."

"Sounds like a good strategy, how is that stance not so special?" Mindy continually questioned.

"Because it's so basic," Mendel answered. "The concept of jabbing with your weaker arm and preserving your energy for more powerful blows with your stronger arm is a beginner strategy that is often taught to those that are just starting boxing. While it works for a little while in the beginning stages of your career, it becomes much more predictable as you work your way up and boxers develop new stances and new methods depending on their preferences as they advance."

"So to revert back to the basics," Chaz continued, "must mean that Jessie is in trouble."

_Lloyd's not making a move yet; the stance change might've made him suspicious. _Jessie kept his distance from Lloyd, who made no attempt to go in closer. The crowd had started to boo at the inaction. Lloyd began to fidget in place and a smirk appeared on Jessie's face. _I know you're eager Lloyd, come to papa. You don't want to disappoint this crowd. _

"**Lloyd Block! Lloyd Block! Lloyd Block!" **The crowd chanted. For once, Jessie was glad the crowd wasn't on his side as Lloyd rushed forward.

_I can't let him flank my left side. _Jessie sidestepped towards the left, covering his left side with the ropes. Lloyd rushed forward and was subject to several jabs from Jessie's left. Annoyed by the lefts, Lloyd skipped to Jessie's right and attempted to throw an overhand right once again. Jessie anticipated the movement and delivered a straight a punch to Lloyd's chest with his right, pushing him away and making the overhand miss.

"He's actually beating him," Mendel said in awe. Chaz had his arms crossed and nodded slightly.

_It's true that this stance is rather rudimentary, _Jessie thought to himself, keeping Lloyd at bay with his left arm, _but it has very few weaknesses compared to other stances. By keeping my left against the ropes, I remove the disadvantageous flanking position, meaning you either come head on against my fist, or you try to take my right and risk getting hit by a more powerful attack. _

Lloyd once again stepped in towards Jessie's right, which caused Jessie's fist to shoot out automatically. Lloyd blocked the attack and Jessie directed his left arm towards Lloyd once more, putting them in their previous position.

_While my movements in this stance may be obvious, it also makes any counter-measures another comes up with to fight against this stance that much apparent as well. And If I use this stance purely for defensive purposes, the only one making all the obvious moves will be you, Lloyd. _

Lloyd made no more attempts to attack Jessie and began to back off, like a wolf giving up its attack on a porcupine. Jessie pursed his lips disdainfully. _Of course this strategy won't work at all if it's up to me to take the offensive. _As the two boxers continued to stare each other down, much to the crowd's discontent, an inkling of an idea appeared into Jessie's head.

_I could give him _that _opening, but it's extremely risky. But then again, I can't really afford to go on the offensive. I'll have to do it._ Jessie stepped away from the ropes slowly, standing lightly on his toes. Seeing the opening, Lloyd rushed towards Jessie's left with a speed Jessie could barely fathom, ducking under Jessie's extended left arm._ Here does nothing._

Jessie then spun clockwise on his toes, with his left arm pulled back, avoiding whatever punches Lloyd threw at him. As he neared a three-sixty degree spin, Lloyd's face came into view and Jessie swung his left. _My arm may lack power but with the help of my entire body…_ The blow struck Lloyd on the cheek and made him fall to the ground. Unfortunately he was back up in a second, but before he could charge in once more, the bell rang, ending the third round.

As Jessie drudged back to his corner, the adrenaline within him settling down, he thought about Tiff, Equestria, the ponies. _I wonder what they're up to right now… _

* * *

"Wow Tiff! You knew so much about Star Swirly the Beardo that Cheerilee even excused you from doing the assignment!" Scootaloo exclaimed. Scootaloo, Tiff, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle were gathered at the back of the schoolhouse for recess, sitting on the grass and conversing.

"Aw it's nothing," Tiff said bashfully, turning her head while covering one of her blushing cheeks with a hoof.

"You're a lot like Twi," Apple Bloom stated, "Why, I wouldn't be surprised your Cutie Mark happened to look a lot like hers."

"Or maybe a depiction of Twilight herself," Sweetie Belle added, eliciting a snicker from the group.

"Oh how unexpected, The Cutie Mark Crusaders talking about Cutie Marks again." The condescending remark came from a light-pink Earth Pony Filly, with a light purple and white mane and tail. She was crowned in a silver tiara, and on her flank was a similarly shaped tiara Cutie Mark. Next to her was a dark grey Earth Pony filly, with a silver mane and tail, her mane tied into a braid. She wore glasses and her neck was adorned with pearls. Decorating her flank was a silver spoon Cutie Mark. "And its looks like they got a new member. Oh Silver Spoon, why can't these girls just grow up already and stop being a bunch of blank flanks?"

The one called Silver Spoon laughed. "Hah! That's because they're not special at all."

"Gosh darn it Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon!" Apple Bloom cried. "Why can't the two of you just leave us alone?"

"Yeah! Go bother somepony else for a change!" Scootaloo agreed.

"Y'know it's just the two of them…" Tiff got up and slowly approached the two spoiled fillies, a mischievous grin on her face.

"Hey, what're you doing? Back off!" Diamond Tiara demanded. She and Silver Spoon began to back away from Tiff as her horn began to glow.

"Nonono, stop! Please! Don't!"

"She did what?!" Twilight asked in aghast. Before her stood Cheerilee and Tiff, standing at the entrance of the library. Tiff's head was bowed as she stared at the ground ashamed. Cheerilee had a serious expression on her face as spoke with Twilight.

"I know. I couldn't believe it when I saw it myself. To throw two ponies into a pool of mud, coat them in feathers, and to suspend them from a tree by their tails tied to a branch is not just a prank, it's practically assault and a serious offense. Is Tiff's brother here?"

Twilight shook her head. "No, he's going to be out of town for a bit. But don't worry; I'll see to it that the proper disciplinary procedures are followed. What will you have her do?"

"Well, since this is her first offense, the parents will not be brought in, though they have been informed. However she will be staying with me at the end of class for detention for the next two days," Cheerilee informed her. She gave one last disappointed look at Tiff before walking away.

Tiff kept her head bowed shamefully as Twilight looked down at her. "What do you have to say for yoursself?"

"My brother told me to do it…" she mumbled.

"He told you to cover Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon in feathers and suspend them from a tree?" Twilight asked, perplexed.

"He told me," Tiff looked up and began to raise her voice, "to stand up for myself! Not to let anypony push me around and to give them a piece of my mind if they do!"

"Tiff…"

"And I wish I was with him right now!" she screamed, small tears streaming from the corners of her eyes. She then ran past Twilight and into the room she shared with her brother, slamming the door shut behind her.

"Oh no, I hope there's a book on handling emotionally distraught fillies around here somewhere…"

"Over there," Spike said as he walked by, pointing at a shelf.

"Oh well that's convenient."

* * *

Jessie sat in his corner breathing heavily. Across his face, the scar he had received from the manticore had opened up due to a very powerful punch delivered to him from Lloyd Block. At the start of the fourth round, before Jessie could attempt the same strategy used in the last, Lloyd rushed Jessie's left right away, and put Jessie under guard the entire match. He managed to slip past Jessie's defenses and finally landed an overhand, albeit with his left, on Jessie, splitting open the scar on Jessie's face. Jessie had spent the rest of the round defending himself, just trying to stay in the game.

Now Jessie's face was covered heavily with blood, some of it streaking down Jessie's neck and covering his torso.

"Shit shit shit," Chaz cursed, as he watched Mendel apply a coagulating agent which was then covered by Vaseline. "You sure you can stop the bleeding?"

"Believe it or not, but I'm actually qualified for things like this," Mendel assured, "but that being said, this is a really nasty cut, it's unreal, you just don't get these kind of cuts in boxing."

"That's because it was a scar that had opened up," Chaz said. "Has the bleeding stopped?"

"Quiet! I'm working." Mendel then began to apply pressure to the wound. The referee called for the fighters and Mendel stood up making way for Jessie. As Jessie made his way to the center, Chaz lightly grasped his shoulder before getting out of the ring.

_Only the fifth round… And I'm so light headed. It's so weird, just when it seems I'm winning… _Jessie's guard was only half way up, and there was a slightly wobble in his steps. _Dammit, am I gonna lose here? _Lloyd, seeing Jessie's unbalance, rushed in and Jessie, right in the nick of time, ducked under Lloyd's swing, and performed an uppercut with his left, catching Lloyd under his chin. As was expected the blow was weak, and Lloyd immediately countered, with swiftly delivered left hook. Jessie raised an arm to block the attack, but the blow unbalanced him, and he staggered away, barely able to keep his footing.

_Crap… I can't think… _Lloyd didn't waste time and ran towards Jessie once more. Just barely able to comprehend the movement as hostile, Jessie found himself rushing towards his attacker as well. _What the hell am I doing? What the hell am I thinking? Am I even thinking at all? _As the two fighters neared each other, their rights fired at each other. Jessie caught Lloyd across the jaw first, pushing him away, and making Lloyd's right lightly graze across Jessie's nose.

_That's it! I've been fighting this match all wrong. _I _have the reach advantage. _I _should be on the offensive, no matter how fast or powerful he is. I pound at him from a distance, and it'll be harder for him to counter. That explains how I was able to fight back effectively at the end of the second round despite not keeping a level head; it was because I was on the offensive._

Reinvigorated by his new strategy, Jessie then pressed his assault, making sure not to get to close by seeing that his arms get to extend fully whenever a punch is thrown. Lloyd then closed the distance and started to fight back, catching Jessie off guard and sending Jessie back on the defensive.

_Shit! What happened? He can close so easily, what the hell… Argh, I forgot, my footwork sucks. Dammit all this blood loss is making me stupid. _Jessie was once again hiding behind his arms as Lloyd rained an unstoppable fury of punches. The assault momentarily ceased, and as Jessie looked out from his arms, found Lloyd pulling back his right as he prepared to deliver a powerful blow.

_I have to use this! _Jessie broke his cover and shot a punch with his left, aiming it at Lloyd's right eye. While not powerful, the attack did what was intended, momentarily messing with Lloyd's depth perception as he fired his powerful overhand right. The attack literally overshot, flying over Jessie's shoulder and Jessie took this moment to deliver a powerful uppercut with his right, catching Lloyd's chin. As Lloyd stumbled back, Jessie shot off two left jabs at the same eye he had hit before, temporarily blinding it. Creating a larger blindside for him to exploit, Jessie then ducked into Lloyd's right side, and as Lloyd turned to maintain vision, he was greeted by a right cross .

Lloyd however, managed to throw a punch at the same time and the fighters had each other simultaneously in the face. Lloyd fell to his back and Jessie maintained his footing, although he was faring no better, for the wound had reopened once more, and bleeding much more profusely.

_Dammit this is bad. If Lloyd gets up, the ringside physician might stop this match and declare it my loss. _The referee began the ten-count, but Lloyd was up within seconds, much to Jessie's dismay. Once Lloyd was back up on his feet and ready to fight, Jessie rushed in, not giving the physician a chance to worry about his wound. Jessie did his best to keep Lloyd hiding behind his arms, despite his lack of foot work, and the bell rung once more.

As Jessie returned to the corner, the ringside physician went in and examined Jessie. "It is not looking good young man," the physician stated, holding Jessie's face and examining the wound. "I'm going to have to-"

"Just one more round doc," Jessie interrupted. "Please, just one more."

"The times that has been requested of me…"

"Please," Jessie insisted. "What about that one guy who was allowed to keep fighting even after his jaw was broken?" The doctor looked at Jessie with an amused expression after hearing Jessie's reasoning. "Just one more round," Jessie begged once more.

The physician looked to Jessie's corner, right at Mendel. "Can you do something about this?" he asked. Mendel nodded and Jessie sat back down on his stool, Mendel rushing to fix the wound.

"Guess we're not going to be able to make all ten rounds…" Chaz said sadly. Jessie sipped all the water he could from the bottle Mindy held, swallowing a mouthful.

"That's fine," Jessie said, letting out a satisfied sigh, "I've got it."

Mendel finished his treatment of Jessie and backed away. "I've done the best I could. That should hold you for the round."

Jessie nodded his thanks and Chaz and Mendel stepped out of the ring. Jessie stood up and walked back to the center, his eyes burning a hole into Lloyd's soul. _I've seen what you can do Lloyd. You're tough, the toughest I've ever fought. But I'm not going to let you stop me. _Jessie glanced once more to the blonde man in the audience, who just happened to be grinning. _He knows it ends now._

At the sound of the bell, much to everyone's surprise: be they the audience, Jessie's corner, Lloyd's corner, or even Lloyd himself, Jessie dashed towards Lloyd. Though caught off guard, Lloyd recovered in time to help close the distance between the two.

_You're fast, you're strong, and capable of changing up your punches mid-swing, but after going six rounds against me, none of that matters since you became one thing... _

Lloyd threw the first punch, the same punch he's usually throwing when he wanted something to end. The overhand right. As it came closer, rather than dodging to the side, Jessie forced the distance between the two to close even more, making the punch go right over his shoulder. In return, Jessie shot his right fist upwards into Lloyd's chin, snapping Lloyd's head back.

_Transparent._

Jessie then dodged the retaliatory left he had anticipated, and threw a straight left of his own, catching Lloyd's cheek.

_Not much power, but you can only take so much to the head before… _

Again, Lloyd attempted to retaliate, but his attack was dodged once more, and Jessie fired a small combination of right and left jabs to Lloyd's cheek. Dazed, Lloyd swung wildly at Jessie who ducked under the swing. Using the power it takes to stand up, Jessie stood up while throwing an uppercut with his left, hitting Lloyd's chin once more, with enough power to cause the fighter to stumble back. Jessie stepped in and pulled his right arm back as far it could.

_You fall! _

Jessie fired his punch, and the strike met Lloyd's face halfway through his arm's extension. It didn't stop however as it continued to follow through, pushing against Lloyd's face. A splatter of blood emerged, spewing unto Jessie and the referee, emerging from Lloyd's nose. Jessie's punch had sent Lloyd off his feet and foot away from him. The referee began his countdown.

"1!"

_No movement from Lloyd._

"2!"

_No movement from Lloyd._

"3!"

_Still no movement…_

"4!"

_Is he even breathing?_

"5!"

_Oh shit!_

"6!"

"Um I don't think he's…"

"Move out of the way!" The ringside physician demanded as he entered the ring. Unable to deal with what he could have done, Jessie trudged back to his corner, eyes wide and mouth tightly shut in horror. As Jessie sat in his corner, he held his breath, large amounts of guilt filling into him. Then, in the center of the ring, being helped up by his cornerman, Lloyd Block stood up, breathing, though barely able to stand. Jessie allowed himself to continue breathing, and wiped the sweat off his brow.

"Twenty seconds within the sixth round," Chaz said with an impressed tone. "Not bad at all."

"I won't lie, the urgency of the situation helped things out a bit."

Mindy slapped Jessie on the back. "Good job Jess!"

"Ow…"

* * *

Jessie was now in the locker room, examining the now stitched wound on his face in the mirror. _These doctors sure do a good job. Though… _Jessie flexed his left arm, remembering the process it took to grow back. _It doesn't hold a candle to magic. Speaking of magic… _Jessie placed a hand on his chest. _The weight isn't there. _Jessie extended a hand towards a locker door and tried to pry it open with his mind. _Nope, nothing. Guess I can't do magic in this world… _

After Jessie pulled a shirt over his shoulders and put his glasses back on his face, Jessie went for the entrance and found, waiting for him, was the same blonde man he found in the audience.

"_You_," Jessie said venomously, glaring at the blonde man.

The middle-aged blonde man laughed and approached Jessie. "What's wrong junior? Why're you looking at me like that? Weren't you looking for me the entire match?"

"Don't call me that," Jessie spat. "I just wanted to make sure you stayed and saw what would happen to you should we ever meet in the ring."

"Which should be pretty soon from what I understand," the man added.

"Wow is that, Jessie Lee?" The exclamation had come from Mendel who had entered the locker room with Mindy and Chaz. "Sir, I am so honored to be able to watch you in the main event tonight. A unification bout between you and Andrew Walker is bound to be very exciting." Mendel had taken the blonde-man's, who was called Jessie Lee, hand and started to shake it, clearly excited. Jessie Lee gave Mendel a smile before turning back to Jessie Santiago.

"See to it that you work on your footwork," Lee suggested to Santiago. He then turned and left the locker room, a hand raised in the air in goodbye.

Jessie was now seething, causing Mindy and Mendel to take a few steps away from him. Chaz had raised his hands, trying to calm Jessie. "Easy now, Jess, he was just trying to help. After all he's your-"

"Shutup!" Jessie suddenly shouted, his fist slamming into the wall, leaving behind a small crack. "I can't wait to fight that old man…" A sudden feeling of weariness took over Jessie and he leaned against the wall, sliding along it until he reached a sitting position. "Sorry guys…"

"Um, is there some sort of history between you two?" Mindy asked as she hid behind her boyfriend Mendel.

"Not now," Chaz said, and directed them out the room. "You gonna be okay champ?"

Jessie looked up and gave Chaz a weak smile. "I'm not a champ just yet."

"You may as well be," Chaz said with a grin before leaving the locker room.

"Flatterer…"

* * *

Jessie stared at the sapphire crystal ball that was kept in Mindy's guest room. In his hands, he held several shopping bags filled with goods and souvenirs from his stay in Japan, one bag filled with several other bags which happened to be filled with the chicken nuggets Tiff and Spike requested. The aroma tempted Jessie to help himself to a few, though he resisted.

"Now, how am I supposed to..." Jessie then remembered how Mindy had pressed his face against the ball when he first encountered it. Hesitantly, Jessie bent down and brought his nose closer to the crystal ball. He pressed his nose against it and then found himself a second later lying face-down on the floor of the Ponyville Library, the bags he carried thrown wildly around the room.

"I never seem to have a smooth landing," Jessie said, rubbing his nose sorely as he stood up.

"Hey Jessie! Welcome back," Twilight greeted him. "I see you brought back a lot of things."

"Yup. Where's Tiff?"

"Er…" Twilight hesitated and turned away from Jessie. Jessie looked at Twilight, bemused, and asked his question once more.

"Twilight, where's Tiff?" he asked more sternly.

"Um, school."

"You're not telling me something." Jessie walked around and flanked Twilight, barring her exit from the library. "What's going on?"

Twilight lightly kicked the ground apprehensively as she turned her head slightly, giving Jessie a nervous grin. "She's at school, like I said."

Jessie crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, insisting she go on.

Twilight sighed and lowered her head, conceding. "Serving detention."

"Seriously, what for?"

"What for? For following advice you gave her!" Twilight pointed an accusing hoof at him. "You told her to give anypony that messes with her a piece of her mind. What she should have been told was to consult an adult."

"Awww, c'mon what did she do? What happened?" Jessie pulled up a nearby chair and sat down.

"Tiff and her friends were being harassed by Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon-"

"No surprises there."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "And," she continued, "moments later the two of them were thrown into mud, covered in feathers, and were hanged from the branch of a tree by their tails."

Jessie had burst out laughing and started to clap his hands. "Woohoo, good going Tiff!"

"You're actually happy? What's wrong with you?" Twilight asked angrily, her hoof stamping the ground.

"Hey, listen here Twilight," Jessie pointed a finger at her, "nobody, and I mean nobody messes with us. My father always said… my… father…" Jessie trailed off and began to stare off dumbly to the side.

Twilight walked up to Jessie and prodded him lightly with a hoof. "Jess, you okay?"

Jessie suddenly shook his head, and slapped his cheeks. "Yeah, sorry, just kinda… You know what, you're right Twilight, what Tiff did was too much. I'm going to talk to her about it…"

Jessie made his way to the school house and knocked on the door. It swung open revealing Cheerilee. "Oh, Jessie, hello, I see you're back."

"Yeah," Jessie replied, "I heard what happened with… well, you know."

"Well, her time is over up for today, so I guess you can take her now," Cheerilee turned her head, "Tiff? Your brother's here, you may leave now." Cheerilee stepped out of the way and allowed Tiff to slip past her.

"Hey there kiddo," Jessie said looking down at Tiff. Tiff smiled up at him and tenderly placed her face against his leg affectionately. Jessie bent down and carried Tiff within his arms before turning around and beginning the walk back to the library.

"So, how'd the fight go?" Tiff asked eagerly. Jessie gave her a smile.

"What do you think?" he asked her.

"Seventh round, two minutes in?"

"Close," Jessie responded. "Sixth round, twenty seconds in."

"No way! How?"

Jessie shrugged. "The situation was a little urgent. By the way, I got you your nuggets you've been craving."

"Thanks bro!"

"No problem." As Jessie continued walking, Tiff noticed a hint of sadness behind his eyes.

"Are you okay, _kuya?_" she asked, calling him by his title. Jessie bit his bottom lip. She would never call him _kuya _unless she really wanted to know something.

"Tiff," he said softly, "do you remember a year ago when you asked about…" Jessie faltered momentarily, "… about our father?"

Tiff nodded. "Yeah, you said you'd tell me when I'm older."

"Well, I guess it's better that I tell you now…"


	10. Round One

**Author's note: I'd like to make a shout out to Klutzybear's story "****My Little Brony: Reality vs Fantasy**". If you want to read a story ten times better than mine with writing a hundred times better than mine go and read his. My reason for giving this person a shout out is because when writing this chapter, I found my writing inadvertently mimicking his in some paragraphs.

***Chapter Spoilers*(Update Jan 18, 2013): Made changes to the conception of Jessie's clone later in this chapter, changing his personality.  
**

* * *

"Okay, here I go…" Jessie took in a deep breath, breathing in the air slowly through his mouth. His eyes were closed and he took up seemingly meditative stance, as he stood straight, legs together and palms pressed to against one another as if he was in prayer. He was standing in a small clearing he had created in the Everfree forest, surrounding him were tree stumps upon which glass bottles were placed.

Jessie then separated his palms and performed a gesture, like he was beckoning an audience to rise. Around him, small pebbles began to levitate and hover around him, forming a circle that surrounded him. Jessie then opened his eyes and raised his left hand high in the air. The pebbles did as they were directed and hovered above his left hand, forming a rocky halo. With his right hand, he pointed at a bottle. His brow furrowed and he gritted his teeth.

"Fire." At his command, a pebble shot forth from the halo and followed the direction his finger pointed, striking the bottle and shattering it to pieces. Jessie then turned towards another stump, this one with three bottles on top of it. Jessie bit his lip as the magic took its toll on him. "Fire," he whispered once more, and three pebbles flew from their orbit around his raised hand, each one hitting a bottle and breaking it.

Jessie then turned to a larger stump, this one with as much as ten bottles placed on top of it. Jessie lowered his left hand and directed his palm towards it, causing the pebbles that orbited it to gather together in front of it. He clenched his hand into a fist, which in turn caused the pebbles to smash together violently, forming into one giant rock. "Go," he commanded, and launched the rock at the bottles, smashing into them like a bowling ball striking pins.

Jessie then fell to the ground, unto his rear, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. "Whew, magic takes so much concentration." He lay down on the ground, looking up lazily at the sky. He had started practicing magic at the start of September, following Twilight's suggestion to practice. He hated having to read the books and apply the theories within, since unlike Twilight, he hated studying, his studious nature having been forced unto him by his mother. As he was about to close his eyes and rest, the sound of clapping caught his ears.

It wasn't the clopping sound of hooves coming together, it was clapping, human clapping; the familiar sound of palms slapping together and producing the clap. Jessie shot up and entered his boxing stance, his eyes darting around, observing his surroundings. Laughter then filled his ears, and out from behind a tree, a brunette man appeared, with a full face mustache, goatee, and soul patch combination, and a reddish complexion. "There's no need to be so alarmed, I just wanted to talk is all," the mysterious stranger said, raising his hands in front of him defensively.

Jessie curled his lip and gave the man a snarl. "And why should I believe those words, coming from the man who wants to destroy Equestria?" The stranger raised an amused eyebrow and laughed once more, taking a step closer to Jessie. Jessie maintained his place, but bounced lightly on his toes, ready to move to wherever was needed.

"And what makes you think that I am that man?" the stranger asked, pointing at himself theatrically.

"I'm not an idiot," Jessie stated. Jessie lowered his fists and took a step closer to the man. "There are only supposed to be two humans in this world. There's the one that wants to protect it, that's me. Then there's the one that wants to destroy it." Jessie was now face to face with the man, who stood an inch smaller than him. "Who else could it be, but you, _Baade_?"

Jessie said Baade's name spitefully, forcing the man he called Baade to frown. "Oh dear," Baade said, "the first interaction I had with my own species in over three thousand years, and already he has decided not to like me. I do wonder what lies the Princess has fed you."

"So you don't want to ravage Equestria and watch it burn to the ground?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong, of course I do!" Baade exclaimed. Jessie looked at him with disgust and turned away.

"Then I couldn't care less about your motivations Baade. You want this world to burn and I want to keep it safe. Nothing you say will change that." As Jessie tried to walk away, he felt a hand on his shoulder, the fingers digging into him and rooting him in place.

Jessie looked over his shoulder to see the man looking at him malevolently, a mischievous sneer plastered onto his face. "Well, if we are such mortal enemies, why don't we settle things here, right now?" A small shiver ran down the length of Jessie's back and an evil chuckle left Baade, sensing Jessie's discomfort. "That's right; you can feel it can't you? Your rudimentary magical power compared to mine? You can exercise your power for one year, increasing your magical stamina and its potency, but it'll still be nothing but a pebble falling into the yawning chasm that is my power."

Jessie turned around and gave Baade a wry smirk. "Three thousand years of captivity must've made you forget," Jessie said, winking at Baade. For a moment, Baade was baffled, and Jessie took this opportunity to whirl around, his right fist raised, sending it crashing into Baade's face. Baade relinquished his grip, a tooth flying out of his mouth as he fell to the ground. Jessie rushed to mount Baade, and managed to get on top momentarily, but Baade faded into smoke, Jessie's fist colliding with the ground. The smoke gathered behind Jessie and formed into the humanoid figure that was Baade.

After Baade had reformed, he spat out a coagulation of blood and saliva that resulted from Jessie's punch. "Such intensity," he remarked, "that's funny… I could have sworn I had my magical wards-" Baade made an expression indicating clarity as he came to the realization of what had happened. "Ah yes, I have forgotten. So _that's _why you're here, the Stravis Effect."

Jessie looked at Baade questioningly, and Baade palmed his face. "Oh dear, please don't tell me you're not familiar with your own kind's history?"

"I'm adequately acquainted with my world's history," Jessie retorted, "not with yours."

"_Your_ world?" Baade asked, crossing his arms and walking up to Jessie.

_Ah crap, he doesn't know does he? _Jessie thought.

"Your world?" Baade asked once more, "So you're saying there's another world in which humans exist? I had assumed that you were a descendant of a remnant population when I first observed your presence earlier in the month." Jessie looked at Baade hesitantly, wondering how he should answer the question.

"How about you just tell me what the hell the Stravis Effect is?" Jessie counter-asked in an attempt to change the subject. Baade looked at Jessie warily before beginning his explanation.

"We human beings have always been fascinated with magic, and originally, at the beginning of our existence, we were not capable of doing magic. The first time magic had been found in our blood was when a Unicorn and a Human produced offspring. Then-"

"Wait a minute," Jessie interrupted. "Did you just say a Unicorn and a Human? How does that work?"

"Magic," Baade stated bluntly, giving Jessie a condescending smile. Jessie furrowed his eyes, insisting that Baade should elaborate.

"There have existed human/pony relationships, though very few for obvious reasons. These relationships typically only work out when one person or pony in the relationship is an advanced magical user. Back when humans did not possess magic, that individual would have to be a pony, specifically, a unicorn. Using magic, the individual would take on the form of his or her lover's species. In this case, the unicorn was a female and she took on the form of a woman, and of course she and her lover had relations.

She was impregnated in human form and she remained in human form until she gave birth. Unsurprisingly, she gave birth to a human baby. However, as that child grew, people have noticed strange things regarding the child. They have managed to deduce that the child was capable of magic and so asked the unicorn council to help train the child."

"And the Stravis Effect is?" Jessie asked, feigning impatience to get Baade's mind off of his blunder over having mentioned his world.

Baade raised a hand asking for patience. "I'm trying to give you a full recount of human interaction with magic. I'll get to the Stravis Effect in a bit. Anyways, that child was called Merlin, known to be the first human wizard. "

_Merlin? _Jessie did his best to contain his surprise. _It could be a coincidence but if this Merlin is the same fictionalized character from the Camelot stories, then that would mean that some influence from this world had reached Earth. _

"So is that how humans came to have magic? By having unicorn blood within them?" Baade looked up thoughtfully after hearing Jessie's question.

"Hmm," he mused, "about thirty percent of the magical human population received their powers this way. Others were "gifted" the use of magic by ways of a magical "seed" implanted into them by a very powerful unicorn. Everyone else thereafter received their magical blood from their ancestors.

Anyways, as the number of humans with magical powers grew, we have started to experiment, quite excessively in fact. Within a small span of five hundred years, humans have started to develop immunity to each other's magic, whether the spell be beneficial to one's health or not. This was first noted by none other than Immanuel Stravis, naming the phenomenon the Stravis Effect."

"To develop an immunity in five hundred years…" Jessie noted. "People must have loved using magic."

"Oh we were _obsessed _with it," Baade emphasized. "Now I've told you what you wanted to know, I think it's time you do me the same, don't think I've forgotten what you said."

Jessie gritted his teeth as he glared at Baade. "Tch, fine. There's another world where humans exist. I came from that world. That's all you need to know."

"And that's where I begin to question your honesty. If you really are from another world, how is it possible for the Stravis effect to apply to you?"

"Perhaps," Jessie theorized, "it's not a case of human's becoming immune to each other's magic, but rather, human magic has been rendered ineffective against other humans."

"You're much smarter than you look," Baade complimented Jessie, "It certainly is a plausible theory. Rather than our bodies evolving to resist each other's magic, our magic has evolved to become futile against fellow human beings. That would explain why my magical wards had zero effect against your attack even though you have no ancestors from this world."

"And if my theory is correct," Jessie went on, "that must mean my magic…" With no warning Jessie mimicked a pushing motion towards Baade. Although Jessie made no contact with him, Baade was pushed back slightly, his eyes wide in surprise. "Can still hurt you!"

Jessie lounged at Baade who evaporated into smoke once more. As Baade reappeared to Jessie's left, he extended a hand towards the scrappy fighter, causing plant roots to emerge from the ground and entangle Jessie's limbs, pulling Jessie closer to the Earth. "What the… hell…" Jessie struggled to remain upright.

"When human wizards have a duel, normally it is the most creative one who wins. Unlike when confronting other magical beings, due to the Stravis Effect, we cannot use magical energy to harm each other. So we must use _indirect _means to fight." Baade's open hand lowered, prompting the plants roots holding Jessie to pull him even closer to the ground.

As Baade walked closer to Jessie, Jessie's heart began to race, every fiber of his being struggling to be loose of his floral entrapment. As he strained against his bonds, the pressure of survival began to emanate within his core and the same feeling he had when he was losing consciousness due to excessive blood loss had started to fill him. _Warmth. Heat. Fire. _

Jessie was then suddenly engulfed in an inferno, causing Baade to shield his eyes. The fire turned Jessie's restrictions into ashes and as he was freed, the fire died down. Before Baade's vision could come back, Jessie aimed a palm at Baade, firing a small concentrated ball of fire at him.

The moment Baade had recovered; he moved his head deftly to the side, avoiding the raging ball of fire. Jessie smirked and raised his right hand, forming a large spherical concentration of flames. "Come at me bro."

In a flash, Baade had disappeared and Jessie felt a heavy impact against his gut. Within a moment he was flying back, his fireball blown out, and he was soaring past the trees until he came to a sudden violent stop as his back crashed into the trunk of a large tree. As the back of his head smashed into the tree his vision blackened.

* * *

Jessie had regained consciousness, though struggled to open his heavy eyelids. He found himself to be lying face down on a stony floor. When he had opened his eyes fully, he pushed himself up and looked around. He appeared to be in a cave of some sort, and at the center, somehow illuminating the cave was a pool. Jessie examined the pool, marveling at its reflectivity.

"It's just like a mirror…"He felt a sudden throbbing pain at the back of his head and he placed a palm there, trying to soothe the ache. "Shit… what the hell…"

"Glad to see you're alive."

Jessie turned to his left and saw Baade sitting on rock carved into the basic shape of a chair. His arms were crossed and he looked at Jessie with an amused smirk. "'Come at me bro'", Baade mocked, "I have no idea what it means but it sounded incredibly cocky." Jessie tried to step in closer but stumbled, and fell to a knee.

"You..." Jessie said weakly, "You could have killed me…"

"I certainly had the opportunity to, yes that's true, but I haven't murdered any person and I most certainly wouldn't stop now."

Jessie glared angrily at Baade, his fist pounding into the ground. Baade was slightly taken aback by his violent reaction. "But it's completely different when it comes to killing innocent ponies? Don't be so goddamn hypocritical! Just because you've been locked away in some void for thousands of years doesn't mean-"

"An ignorant fool is what you are!" Baade suddenly interrupted. "Do you think that is the whole truth? Do you wish to know about my side of the story?"

Jessie spat at Baade's feet. "I couldn't give two shits about your story. Nothing justifies the mass genocide of innocents." Jessie attempted to get up once more, but his strength gave out, and all he could muster was to change his position so that he was sitting cross-legged. "Well, you brought me here for a reason, what the hell do you want from me?"

Baade stood up from his seat and took a few steps closer to Jessie. Out of his robe's pocket, he pulled out an aged and tattered scroll. "This is a simple unicorn spell scroll. It allows one to pull out a manifestation of an emotion from a person or pony in the form of a gem."

Jessie looked at Baade quizzically. "That seems pretty pointless."

"It was more of an artistic practice than anything else. But I can put it to practical use here. Since its unicorn magic, I should be able to use it on you." Baade's arm glowed as he absorbed the magic from the scroll, causing it to disintegrate, and approached Jessie. As Jessie tried to move away, with a gesture from his free arm, Baade bound Jessie within an icy entrapment using water from the pool, preventing any use of his arms and legs.

"Dammit asshole, let go of me!"

"You are in no position to make demands." Baade placed his glowing palm on Jessie's chest and Jessie watched in horror as the hand _sunk_ into his body. As Baade pulled out his hand, it was grasping onto a black gemstone, nearly the size of his fist. No wound or open cavity was left behind as he extracted the gem from Jessie.

"Such a large gem," Baade marveled, turning the gemstone around as he examined its facets. "I was searching for anger; it appears that I didn't have to go very far to find it."

"What are you talking about you piece of shit?"

Baade held the black gemstone in front of Jessie's face. "This gemstone represents your anger. Does it surprise you that it's this big?"

"Bite me."

Baade then turned towards the pool and held the gem above it. "Have you ever heard of the legend of the mirror pool?"

"Th-the mirror pool?" Jessie eyes dilated as he looked towards the reflective surface of the nearby pool of water. Pinkie Pie had told him of the pool once before, about its duplicative powers.

"I've been doing some research, and this pool should be just perfect for my needs."

"Do you plan on making more of yourself?!" Jessie blurted out.

Baade laughed and shook his head. "Hah! Of course not. Knowing myself, the moment I pull a clone out of that pool, he'll want to kill me. Rather…" Baade dropped the gem into the pool. As it touched the water, the gem liquefied, forming into a puddle of black sludge over the pool. It was like an oil slick, still maintaining the reflective qualities of the mirror pool, albeit black.

"What the…" Jessie watched as the sludge began to take shape, a humanoid form rising from the puddle. It dug its fingers into the sides of the pool, pulling itself out. The sludge that covered it began to drip down from its body, unveiling the pale tan skin underneath. "Don't tell me…"

As the sludge puddled at the feet of the naked figure, Jessie looked upon a familiar humanoid shape, one he sees every time he looks in the mirror.

His clone wiped some of the moisture around his eyes before opening them and looking around. An icy and expressionless countenance was plastered on his face, one that didn't seem to be going away any time soon. He spotted Jessie, frozen to the ground, and Baade standing boldly to the side. He gave Jessie a cold, hard stare, before speaking. "Where am I?"

Before Jessie could speak up, Baade iced over Jessie's mouth. "There's no need to fret, my son," Baade said soothingly.

"I have no father," he said

"Then don't call me father," Baade suggested, "But I will call you son."

"And this?" The clone pointed at Jessie who struggled with his icy bonds. Jessie tried to melt the ice with fire like before, but the headache he had made it hard for him to concentrate. "For some reason… I want to kill him."

Baade chuckled malevolently and directed his attention at Jessie. "I see. Consider this man your twin, and the person that wishes to stop you from

doing what you want."

The clone looked at Baade inquiringly, though barely breaking his stoic expression. "What I want?"

"You know what you want, don't you? You can feel it. Come now, you can tell me."

"What I want…" The clone looked at the ground for a moment before looking back at Baade. "I want to punch something. I want to _destroy _something. And most of all…" he turned and pointed a dramatic finger at Jessie. "I want to _kill _him."

"We'll see. For the moment we must leave. But first," Baade melted the ice holding down Jessie and covering his mouth. "Do yourself a favor young one. Leave this world and go back to your own. As I have shown you today, you _clearly _lack the power to stop me, even with the Stravis Effect working in your advantage."

Jessie, unable to get up, could only muster raising his left hand, all his fingers curled except for the middle one, raised defiantly at Baade. Baade examined the gesture curiously before Jessie's hand dropped to the ground. With a shrug, Baade directed Jessie's clones towards the ramp that led up to the exit. Jessie's vision blackened once more.

* * *

"I've found you in a battered state, your life for any beast to take. But you mustn't die now; your legacy is too great. Come now human; open your eyes, awake!"

"Damn that stinks!" Jessie sat up from where he lay, finding himself to be in what looked like a shaman's hut. To his side he saw Zecora, on her hoof a small canister with filled with small amounts of a white-powdered substance. "Smelling salts?"

"Human you are quite correct; for they have helped you sit erect."

The excruciating pain began to hammer away at the back of his head once more, causing him to double over in pain. "Crap."

Zecora walked over to a nearby shelf and picked up a wooden gourd. She dropped it on Jessie's lap, who, without even bothering asking what it was, uncorked the gourd and swallowed its contents, his throat bulging as it took in large gulps. With a satisfied sigh, he wiped his lips and placed the beaker down.

"Thanks Zecora, that headache is going away now."

"Most ponyfolk avoid this forest with good reason, I suggest you avoid going too deep until you are far more seasoned."

"It's not like I wanted to be where I was, it was because…" Jessie stopped himself, realizing that even Zecora doesn't even know his true purpose in this world.

_Or does she? _"Zecora, before I opened my eyes I'm pretty sure you said something about my legacy being 'far too great'. What did you mean by that?"

"Jessie, don't take this Zebra for a fool, for you and I know what you are. To stop a great evil, you are the tool, this world you wish not to mar."

"So you know. But how?"

"Using the hair, blood, and spit I took form you, I used them to create a memory brew." As a demonstration, Zecora retrieved a vial of his blood from the shelf, directed him to spit into the bubbling cauldron in the center of her hut, and yanked a strand of hair from his head. After mixing all the ingredients in the cauldron, she stirred it, and an image appeared on the surface.

It showed Jessie's point of view of what had happened earlier this morning, his practice, his fight with Baade, the memory ending the moment he blacked out, and starting up again when he woke up in the cave of the mirror pool. Zecora dipped the ladle back into the cauldron, breaking the memory and turning the cauldron back into its usual bubbling green.

"I had suspected there was more to your stay beneath the surface, so I used this brew to determine your purpose."

"I see…"Jessie stood up, keeping his head low to avoid hitting the ceiling, and placed the beaker back onto a low shelf. As Jessie began to think, he thought of his encounter with Baade. How easily he was beaten.

_How the hell can I even protect this world? He's too powerful… And I'm too weak. And why did he let me live? What is he planning with that duplicate of me? What am I even here for? _As Jessie continued to think about his "fight" with Baade, his knees began to quiver, shuddering as he came to the realization that he was nothing more than a gnat, being shooed away by an annoyed giant. His knees buckled and he fell to the floor, defeated by his thoughts. The blood within his veins began to ice over, his body now fully comprehending the emotion he should have been feeling the very first time he encountered Baade. Fear. For the very first time in his life, Jessie was shaken, afraid to fight.

_Go home_. Jessie repeated the words Baade had said to him in his head before he left. Yes, maybe going home was the best idea. He couldn't do anything; his existence on Equestria was pointless. Maybe the ponies could all come back with him to Earth. They'll find a way to make it work. Maybe even…

"Human!" Zecora cried out, catching Jessie's attention. "Do not lose your resolve now. We need you; the lives of millions are counting on you. Yet you cower!"

"You weren't there!" Jessie yelled back, standing up. Seething, he burst out of Zecora's home and let out a savage roar. He was weak. He hated being weak. He scoffed at the practice he was doing earlier in the morning, tossing pebbles at bottles. Nothing more than child's play. The fear he had within himself transformed into anger. He hated being afraid. Dark clouds began to from overhead, accompanied by heavy rain, flashes of lightning, and resounding booms of thunder.

_Weak! _Jessie struck the base of a nearby tree with his fist. As he did so, a bolt lightning struck the tree. The tree was then torn in half, charred where the lightning had struck; with splinters flying violently pass Jessie's face. Jessie examined his hands as he gaped over what he had done.

"Power…" Jessie murmured. _Where the hell was this power when I was fighting Baade?! _Feeling angry once again, he screamed at the sky once more, causing more lightning bolts to crash around him, tearing apart the Everfree Forest.

"Human! Jessie! Control yourself!"

Jessie then realized what he was doing and ceased his channeling of magic. The lightning and thunder stopped, though the rain continued, which could have been a good thing considering the amount of fires he had started in the vicinity around him.

Jessie looked towards Zecora, his expression perplexed. "I… I don't understand. Just this morning I worked myself out just playing with rocks. Now here I am, creating lightning storms and…" Jessie looked at his hands, horrified. "And I feel more power flowing within me than I ever had before." Jessie performed an outwards pushing gesture, creating a small telekinetic boom. The flames that were caught within the light blast were immediately snuffed out. "Where the hell did I get these powers?"

* * *

"Sister!" Princess Luna descended from the sky, landing on the balcony outside her Celestia's bedroom. Princess Celestia lay on the run in the center of the room, writing a letter. At Luna's appearance, she looked towards the balcony and beckoned her younger sister to come in.

"Luna, you seem distressed."

"Sister, I've received a report saying that an unnatural storm had just come and gone from the Everfree forest."

"Dear Luna," Celestia chided, "it's the Everfree forest, many unnatural things occur there."

"This isn't the forest's usual behavior," Luna insisted, "It must be the result of magic."

"Hmm…" Celestia began to contemplate, and then smiled softly at Luna. "There's no need to fear Luna. What you have told me just confirmed my assumptions."

"I'm sorry?"

Celestia stood up an approached her sister, unfurling a wing as she placed it comfortingly over Luna's shoulders. "I had sensed Jessie's magic coming from the Everfree forest. The storm was most likely a result of his magical powers advancing to the next stage."

"I really wish you explained everything completely when I first brought up his powers," Luna said, her voice bluntly hinting her annoyance, "you had his powers set up through 'stages'?"

Celestia lowered her head, conceding, before going on with her explanation. "As I mentioned before, love is what powers Jessie's magic, but to develop it further will still take time. So in order to speed up the process, I had set up stages, in which his powers can expand, with each stage significantly more powerful than the last. This allows him to skip years of practice, and if my plan works, he'll be as powerful as a human arch mage by the time we confront Baade."

"But how exactly do you make him _skip _years of practice to allow his abilities to enter the next stage?"

"When he has achieved the maximum potential he can reach within one stage, it takes emotional distress for his powers to move on to the next stage."

"I still don't understand."

"Like I've said before, love fuels his power, and love is an emotion. So in order for his power to expand after reaching its limit, it takes another emotion to spike his power, pushing it towards the next stage. I've had it set up so that it takes an intense feeling of hate for his powers to reach the second stage. "

"Hate?!" Luna stressed. "Isn't that counteractive to love? Wouldn't that make him weaker?"

"The line between love and hate is like a line drawn into the sand, it is easily blurred."

"And just how many stages are there?"

"There are three." Celestia furled her wing and went back to her writing, though Luna still stayed.

"So it takes one more emotional spike to for him to reach the final stage then?" Celestia nodded, not looking up from her writing. "And that is?"

Celestia looked up, giving her younger sibling a frown. "Grief."

"I still have one more concern."

Celestia looked up from her writing. While she loved Luna, her younger sister's constant worrying did peeve her a bit. Whether it was out of the natural tendency for an older sibling to get annoyed by their younger, or whether it was because of how little Luna had faith in her plans, she didn't know, but she allowed Luna to ask her final question.

"And, that is?"

"Is it really okay, to be giving a human this much power? Human's don't have the best track record when it comes to handling power."

Celestia nodded in agreement. She had to give her sister that. Power is not something you should give so freely, especially to a human being.

"Time will tell," Celestia responded, unable to come up with a better choice of words. Princess Luna felt she had overstayed her welcome and took off into the sky from Celestia's balcony.

* * *

Jessie had breached the border between the forest and Ponyville, appearing near Fluttershy's cottage. He still wondered about his recent surge in power, contemplating whether it would have been enough to fight Baade on an equal level. At the same time, he thought about how the clone had pointed at him, stating he "wanted to kill him." Jessie knew why the clone had felt this way, but did the clone know? It didn't seem like it did. Baade's untold story also bothered him. While Jessie was sure nothing could justify Baade's wishes, Jessie was still at the very least, curious as to Baade's motivations. Nightmare Moon was trapped on the moon for a thousand years, and even she had other motivations other than revenge. Of course, Baade was trapped within a void for even longer, but he still remained sane, relatively at least.

Jessie stared at Fluttershy's cottage, wondering if the kind-hearted Pegasus was inside. Thinking it wouldn't hurt just to check, Jessie walked up to the cottage, rapping the door with a few backhanded knocks with his knuckle. To his delight, the door opened, but to his surprise, didn't see who answered the door.

"Down here." Jessie looked down, seeing an acquainted filly answer holding the door open.

"Oh, hey there Sweetie Belle," Jessie greeted the young unicorn. Decorating her back was what he recognized was the Cutie Mark Crusader cape. Looking in, he saw Fluttershy chasing Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Tiff who were running around her cottage playing some nonsensical version of three-man tag. Amused by the display, Jessie helped himself inside, taking a seat on the couch. He watched as Sweetie Bell joined in, the lively display bringing a smile to his face and some warmth in his chest.

He berated himself for wanting to leave this world to fend for itself, to let Baade burn it down. His was a world in which one can find a certain kind of happiness that couldn't be found anywhere else. The smiles on everyone's face, the innocence in everyone's hearts, these were things that Jessie wanted to preserve, and the wavering flame of resolve that was within him reignited, blazing throughout his body on a never-ending supply of fuel.

The girls began to run around him and hide behind him as Fluttershy continued to give chase, making him a part of their play time. Within moments he was also chasing the girls as they ran about the cottage. The cottage was filled with laughter and squeaks of glee as it bathed in the orange glow of the setting sun.

Once the moon had arisen the four fillies were tucked into Fluttershy's bed. Within Jessie's hands was a book which he read aloud to them. Adorable yawns left the girls as he read and Jessie could hardly contain himself from displaying his awe. As he finished the girls eyes had fluttered shut and he bade them each a good night with a kiss on their foreheads. He then went down the stairs where Fluttershy was lying on the couch, exhausted.

"Thank you for tucking the girls in Jessie. I just got so tired after playing games with them all afternoon to keep them away from the Everfree forest."

Jessie took a seat next to Fluttershy. "The Everfree forest? Why would they want to go there?"

"Well, I promised I would show them how I made my special soup which required ingredients from the not-so-deep part of the forest, but then I saw this dreadful lightning storm that lasted for thirty seconds. It was quite horrifying." Fluttershy performed gestures that tried to display the full scope of the storm's terror, though it was unneeded, considering Jessiew as at the center of it all.

Jessie gave Fluttershy an awkward expression, scratching his cheek bashfully. "Hehe, yeah, sorry about that."

"Oh, why are you apologizing?"

"Er, well, that is…" Jessie caught himself before he repeated his usual expression, "um, never mind."

"My oh my," Fluttershy said, sitting up and touching the back of Jessie's head, "that is quite the bump you have back there. You didn't get it while we were playing did you?"

"What? No, just got it in the Everfree forest and-"

"The Everfree forest?!" Fluttershy cried, though with her soft voice it was more of a light exclamation. "Jessie, you go into that forest far too much. There are things bigger than Manticores in there, not that Manticores should be taken lightly either, and-"

"Yeah, yeah, Zecora gave me the same lecture."

Fluttershy flew off into the kitchen, coming back with a bag of ice which she placed and held at the back of Jessie's head.

"I'm sure you came here for other reasons aside from play time. What's on your mind Jessie?"

Jessie hesitated, not wanting to ruin the lighthearted mood that had been set by the day's earlier playtime with talk of Equestria's new bad guy, Baade. Unfortunately, this led Jessie to become a victim of what everypony called _the stare. _Looking into Fluttershy's eyes, he felt compelled to do whatever she asked, spill every secret, in fear of disappointing the Pegasus. He didn't even want to know what would happen if he did end up disappoint the pony. He couldn't even look away if he wanted to.

"Okay okay okay, I'll tell you, just please stop giving me the stare." Fluttershy's expression softened after hearing Jessie's pleas, her eyes no longer demanding but pleasant. Jessie liked this expression much more and was sure that if Fluttershy were to look at other ponies in such a way, they would stop walking all over her.

"It's about Baade."

"Oh my. Why would you want to talk about such a terrifying… um…"

"Person," Jessie completed.

"Right."

Jessie looked away for a moment, trying to find the best words to begin with. "It's just that…" Jessie had to be careful with his words, he didn't want to let it slip and worry everypony involved about his encounter with Baade. "I want to know what he's like, er, no not that exactly. Um… You met him before I mean, what did you think of him?"

"I couldn't really formulate much of an opinion of him. But he's a bad man." Fluttershy adjusted the ice bag on his head, turning it over to a cooler side.

"Yeah, no arguments there…"

"Hm? Sounds like you met him."

Jessie opened his mouth, but made no noise. He punished himself by biting the inside of his cheek.

"But it also seems that there's more to him. I'm sure there's a reason why he's so bad," Fluttershy went on, not noticing Jessie's reaction. In fact, by now, Fluttershy was caught up within her thoughts. "Maybe the princesses did something to him prior to banishing him. Or maybe…" Jessie closed his eyes as he listened to Fluttershy's theories. The ice on the back of his head felt great, his position on the couch was comfortable, and Fluttershy's voice was simply relaxing. After everything he had gone through, he wanted nothing more than to unwind and bask in the comfort.

For the third time, Jessie found himself to be waking up somewhere where he shouldn't be. In this case, it was in the living room of Fluttershy's cottage, lying down on the couch.

"Hmm, it's pretty warm in here?"

"Gee I wonder why." The sarcastic reply came from Scootaloo who was standing with the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders to his left. The girls quivered from the spouts of giggles they tried to contain.

"I don't get what…" Jessie then saw Fluttershy who was lying down on his chest.

_How the hell did I not notice this?! And what the hell is with this anime-like development?! _

Jessie had to wait for Fluttershy to wake up, which was followed shortly by one of the most awkward moments Jessie ever had to endure. After leaving Fluttershy's cottage he trekked back into the Everfree forest. After then minutes of walking, he arrived at his clearing. The broken bottles still littered the ground and as Jessie moved to pick them up, an idea sprouted in his head.

Using his magic, Jessie levitated all the broken shards of glass, forming a slowly revolving ring around himself. "Woah…" Unlike yesterday, where he struggled to control the pebbles, the task was as simple as breathing to him and he found that he could manipulate the shards quite easily.

"I wonder if…" He then forced the shards to condense together, and as he did so, the bottles began to form back together, until finally several completed bottles began to hover around him. And like yesterday, the sound of clapping caught his ears. Without even thinking, Jessie whirled around, directing the bottles to fly towards the man arrogantly clapping behind him. The man conjured a small barrier with his hand, allowing the bottles to smash against it.

"Still spying on me?"

"I was merely seeing whether or not you took my advice. Seems you chose not to. Have I not displayed properly the difference between my powers and yours?"

In reply, Jessie extended a hand forcefully at Baade, a bluish-white lightning bolt flying from his palms and towards Baade.

_Heh, I feel just like Cole McGrath_, Jessie thought to himself, comparing his power to that of his favorite video game hero. Barely in the nick of time, Baade had avoided the strike, his eyes expressing his bewilderment.

"But… but…" Baade was nearly at a loss for words. "It has only been one day!"

Jessie smirked, allowing electricity to flow freely though his arms, reveling in his newfound power. "Life's a bitch like that, ain't it?" Jessie then stopped the flow of magic in his arms, the electricity hissing away as he took up his favorite fighting posture. "You ready for round two?"


	11. Round Two

_**Authors note: Late late late, I'm sorry ):**  
_

* * *

_Swish. Swish. Swoosh. _Jessie's fist flew at an overwhelming rate as Baade did his best to avoid getting struck. The two were about ten minutes into their deadly duel with no clear victor in sight. In the beginning, Jessie took advantage of his newly grown magical abilities and the Stravis Effect, though Jessie figured he may as well call it the Santiago effect having proved the original premise of the theory to be wrong, firing bolts of lightning, balls of fire, or just using telekinetics to push Baade away.

His endeavors proved to be fruitless however as Baade easily found creative ways to counter Jessie's magical attacks, creating metallic rods out of minerals from the ground to deal with the electricity, using the moisture found within the plants and in the air to snuff out the flames, and simply dodging Jessie's telekinetic attempts. Frustrated, Jessie reverted back to the weapons he can always count on, Mjolnir and, well, lefty.

But Jessie wasn't purely on the offensive the entire time. Even under "combat constraints" Baade still found ways to fight back. Mostly, it involved levitating up giant rocks and hurling it at Jessie, though occasionally fallen trees, smaller rocks, or even sharpened shards of ice were also thrown at Jessie.

Jessie dealt with Baade's attacks easily, either blasting away the larger objects, or dodging the smaller ones. That said; Jessie was no closer to winning this fight than Baade was. Jessie was also not under the delusion that his power was superior to Baade's. If it weren't for Stravis, or in this case, the Santiago Effect working in his favor, coupled with the surprise factor of his abilities expanding immensely in the short time period of twenty-four hours, Jessie could have been dead at the start of the fight.

But then again, Jessie could have just as easily been dead yesterday as well.

As Jessie began to force a close-combat confrontation, Jessie was caught off guard when Baade, with surprising flexibility, nearly struck the underside of Jessie's chin by shooting a foot upwards in an ascending kick. As Jessie bent back his head to avoid getting hit, Baade then brought the foot down suddenly, into an axe kick, his heel threatening to strike Jessie atop the head. With unpracticed movements, Jessie dodged to the right, his left shoulder getting struck by the heel.

Jessie felt a staggering amount of pain as it collided with his shoulder, and was forced to a knee. Baade then followed up with a low kick directed at Jessie's head. Again, with equally inexperienced movements, Jessie rolled to the away, this time Baade's toe grazing his back. Jessie pushed himself up before Baade could continue the assault and temporarily kept him at bay with a stream of lightning while he gathered his thoughts.

_Tch, this isn't good. I guess I underestimated his martial capabilities, though the power behind each of his attacks is probably powered by his magic. Still, I wish I was an MMA fighter; I never really had to deal with kicks until now. _

Jessie mentally chided himself. _Actually, I never had to deal with magic either, so why is it that it's kicking that's throwing me off? God I'm so weird. _

Whether Baade realized Jessie's weakness, or he simply ran out of things to throw at Jessie, Baade set up another metallic rod, redirecting Jessie's lightning, and closed the distance between the each other once more. As Baade drew near, he jumped and spun in the air, a foot extended, threatening to clobber Jessie over the head. Jessie managed to duck under the attack and back away from Baade.

_Oh geez, a spinning roundhouse kick, it's like I'm fighting against Chuck Norris. _Baade aimed a kick at Jessie's midsection, and Jessie caught the leg, albeit at the cost of getting struck rather hard on the kidney, causing him to buckle over. However, Jessie refused to let go, and Baade struggled to be released. When Jessie recovered his breath, he let out a mighty roar as he swung Baade.

The sight of the trunk of a tree loomed closer to Baade and to avoid being beat around like a ragdoll, forced the tree to combust. The shockwave caught Jessie off guard, forcing him to relinquish his grip on Baade as he shielded his face from the splinters. When Jessie lowered his arms, he found Baade nowhere in sight. Remembering the last time Baade had disappeared in a fight, Jessie blocked his midsection with his forearms, milliseconds before Baade reappeared in front of him, a magically-powered punch crashing into Jessie's arms. Like before, the punch sent Jessie flying back, but this time he retained his wind and his senses. Before he could collide with any object, he flipped backwards and dug his feet into the ground, creating drags marks through the soil until he finally came to a stop.

"You learn quickly," Baade said, appearing to Jessie's left.

"It's not every day I get knocked out in one hit. No way in hell I'd let the same trick do it to me twice."

"You just had to get stronger, didn't you?" There was a hint of sadness in Baade's voice, though Jessie couldn't tell whether it was genuine or mocking. "I've told you before, I've never murdered anybody, but leaving you alive no longer seems feasible, or at the very least, reasonable. I'd rather not have you as a thorn in my side."

Jessie pouted playfully at Baade. "A thorn, is that all I am?"

"Don't be too conceited _boy_. This is a very rare occasion in which we can combat each other on an equal level, with my powers having yet to recover, and yours developing faster than I had expected."

"So what you're saying is," Jessie mused, "that if I'm going to stop you, it'll have to be now?"

"Oh, you are welcome to try." Baade then levitated upwards in the air, his arms extended outwards in a Christ-like manner. The earth began to rumble and the trees around them were ravaged from the ground, uprooted in their entirety as the roots held on vainly to clumps of dirt and soil. The spectacle left Jessie wide-eyed as the large trees began to orbit around Baade who looked down at Jessie with a victorious sneer.

The real fight had just begun.

* * *

"And it only lasted for seconds!"

"Hmm I see." Twilight placed a hoof on her chin contemplatively as she listened to Fluttershy's recount of the brief yet powerful storm she witnessed coming from the Everfree forest. The two conversed right outside Fluttershy's cottage as the four fillies that made up the Cutie Mark Crusaders ran around them, playing. "By the way, have you seen Jessie anywhere? I didn't see him come back to the library last night, nor did I see him in the morning."

Fluttershy's face turned tomato-red at the mention of Jessie. Not escaping Twilight's notice, she looked at Fluttershy with an elevated brow. "Um, you see, last night Jessie just came back from the forest and… er… uh…" Fluttershy hopelessly stammered on.

"She and him were busy getting _cozy _on the couch last night," Scootaloo teased, butting into the conversation.

"Oh dear, no that's not true, I mean yes we did sleep on the couch together and yes it was quite cozy but it's not like we were _busy _ getting cozy, we were just so exhausted and…"

"So he stayed over here then?" Twilight interjected, to which Fluttershy nodded. "And you said he came from the forest? Did you ask him anything about the storm?"

Fluttershy shook her head. "Oh dear no, I couldn't, not when I noticed he had that rather large bump on his head, I was just so worried about his well-being I just had to let him rest."

"Then when he woke up he left? And you don't know where?"

"Actually, I saw him head back into the forest again, even after I warned him not to spend so much time in there, although I'm sure he has his reasons…"

Twilight looked towards the direction of the Everfree forest. "Well, I'm going to go after him, see what he's been doing in there. But first, I'm going to check up on Zecora, see if she's alright after the unusual lightning storm."

"Oh, do be careful Twilight."

Twilight nodded her assurance before turning around towards the direction of the forest. As Twilight continually trekked further into the forest, she noticed a growing amount of animals, big and small, running towards her, towards the outskirts of the forest, looking as if they were in a desperate attempt to flee. The worry within her began to make her insides churn as she noticed the scorched earth near Zecora's abode.

"The lightning storm must have dealt some serious damage here. Oh my!" Twilight exclaimed as she looked upon a tree that stood within jumping distance from Zecora's hut. It was torn in half and singed heavily where it split; indicating that a lightning bolt had taken its toll on the woody perennial. She ran into Zecora's home, not even bothering to knock as she called out her name. "Zecora! Zecora!"

She had broken into a cold sweat, her heart beating against the confines of her chest as she looked around for any trace of the shamanistic zebra. Her search proving fruitless, she stepped outside, hoping Zecora hadn't got caught out in the storm that for some reason chose to appear right over her place of residence. Perhaps she had created a storm brew or muttered some enchantment that caused lightning bolts to rain from the heavens. Twilight stopped theorizing after noticing some hoof prints leading away from the hut and deeper into the Everfree forest.

"Oh, I hope she's alright," Twilight prayed, following the trail of prints. She followed the trail for five minutes, at which point she begun to notice that it converged with a separate set of prints, shaped in an unusual oval-like shape. Within the shape were odd patterns and in the very center was a backwards or mirrored depiction of what looked like a square root sign and the letters "anz".

"Square root anz? That doesn't look right… and what would leave this kind of prints? I don't…" Twilight's eyes enlarged with realization as she had come to the understanding that the prints shape was similar to the shoes Jessie wore. "So Zecora was following Jessie… Or did they choose to meet up?" She ruffled her mane as she began to ponder but interrupted her own thoughts by shaking her head. "I'll just find them and see what's going on."

She followed the prints for a short period of time before the sound of loud bangs, crackling magical energy and rumbling earth caught her ears. She galloped towards the noise and as she drew close, a familiar striped figure appeared within her view. "Zecora!" she cried out.

The mohawked zebra turned her head and spotted Twilight.

"Oh thank goodness you're alright Zecora, I-"Twilight was interrupted as she approached Zecora when Zecora placed a hoof over Twilight's mouth.

"Twilight Sparkle you must achieve silence, for right now, Jessie is caught in a moment of violence." Zecora ushered Twilight to her side, pointing into an unnatural clearing. Twilight gasped and Zecora had to cover her mouth with a hoof once more. There was Jessie, locked in deadly combat against an extremely skilled magical practitioner who levitated himself and nearby objects effortlessly as he continuously flung them at Jessie. Jessie did his best to balance offense and defense, dodging the incoming objects whilst returning fire with his own magic.

"What in the name of Celestia… Who is that man?"

"One whose name should make you very afraid, because that man's name is Baade!"

"B-Baade!?" Upon hearing his name, Twilight made a motion to enter the fray, but was stopped by Zecora who bit into her tail.

"Twilight Sparkle you must wait," Zecora demanded, letting go of her tail, "Jessie needs to concentrate. There is enough on his current plate; we will just be dead weight."

"Zecora, I'm not even going to bother to ask you how you know about Baade, but I'm going to assume that if you heard of him then you have to know that he is bad news! You can't honestly expect that I'll let Jessie fight him alone!"

Zecora blinked at Twilight glumly and pointed a hoof at the battle, as if trying to prove Twilight's point moot. Twilight rolled her eyes and looked, this time to find Baade and Jessie engaging in hand-to-hand combat, combining their magical abilities with their martial abilities, putting themselves into a Zen-like state as they assaulted each other with punches, kicks, head-butts, and other forms of attacks at a rapid rate, their movements a blur, almost looking as if it were choreographed and sped up through abnormal means.

Twilight's jaw dropped and Zecora, quite victoriously smiled at her. "Now you see, Twilight, this isn't a fight for you or me."

"I _still _think we have to find a way to help."

"Listen to what I have to say, we are only going to get in the way. I know that Baade's power is immense, and if he finds us we can't retreat. Jessie will protect us at his own expense, but will most likely result in our champion's defeat."

Twilight bit into her bottom lip. She couldn't disagree with Zecora's logic, if she could join in without having Jessie worry about her safety; then maybe things would be alright. But this wasn't the case, he was the type who would mangle his own hand descending a cliff, get into fights with Manticores, and feed his own arm to a hungry serpent just so he could help his friends. And as endearing as that may sound, it was an incredibly deadly weakness in the hands of a twisted individual such as Baade.

Not entirely happy with what has to be done, Twilight sat on her haunches and watched the melee, nervously biting on a hoof. The movements were incredibly unclear to her unpracticed eye and appeared to be incredibly flashy. In fact, she was sure some of the maneuvers executed were simply performed for aesthetic purposes rather practical battle application, with Jessie performing dodge rolls, and Baade doing backflips. After what seemed like hours of fighting, Jessie's fist had managed to catch Baade on the chin. Due to the intensity of the fight, the situation, and Twilight's incredibly strong desire for Jessie to win, she couldn't but shoot up and cheer, "Yes!"

Almost instantly, Baade and Jessie's heads snapped to her direction and Twilight had realized her blunder. Instinctively, Jessie rushed to act as barrier between the two and the wizard. Baade reacted just as quickly, hurling a log at Twilight. As expected, Jessie intercepted the log, slamming it away with a magically-empowered shoulder bash. This put him in an awkward position in mid-air, allowing Baade to toss pointed spears of ice at Jessie. Jessie used telekinetics to push them away, though one had managed to catch him on the right shoulder, impaling his body and causing him to fall onto the ground, crying out in pain.

"Ahhrgg… Crap crap crap that hurts…" Jessie lay on his left side. Twilight attempted to rush to his aid but Jessie pushed her away with his magic. "Dammit, don't bother with me, just run!"

"I'd do as he suggests," Zecora murmured, trying to pull Twilight away.

"You ponies aren't going anywhere!"

With a mighty heaving motion, Baade erected a massive wall composed of ice that encompassed the perimeter, preventing escape from any direction.

"Twilight Sparkle, your magic!" Zecora cried.

"Okay!" Twilight shut her eyes and concentrated, teleporting herself and Zecora just outside the confines of what was to be their icy prison.

"You're not going to get away that easily my dear ponies!" Baade called out from within the frozen arena. Before he could snap his fingers however, a lethal sounding _swoosh _caught his ears, and he had moved his head just in time to avoid taking a direct hit from the frozen spear Jessie had removed from his shoulder and threw at Baade, managing to knick his cheek as it flew by.

"Don't you dare _fucking _think that I'm done with you." Jessie's words vehemently left his mouth like the breath of a dragon, and Baade practically felt the heat. Jessie then placed his left hand on his right shoulder, blasting the wound with an intense flame. The pain made Jessie buckle down to a knee, and when he stood back up, his stance was wavering.

"Well, I was planning on using those ponies to get you to surrender, but no, it looks like I will have to kill you after all." Baade raised a hand and clenched it into a fist, causing the surrounding frozen structure to crack in numerous places. The cracks began to interweave and connect until the entire thing had looked like it was constructed out of little brittle pieces of glass. "Let's see how you fare against an attack of this magnitude, young wizard."

Baade then unclenched his fist, making each and every individual shard of ice created from the great icy barrier rise up into the air and hover menacingly in the sky. Jessie looked in horror at the spectacle, seeing how every pointed edge was directed straight at him.

"Oh dear Celestia! Zecora look!" Twilight and Zecora were hiding behind another set of trees and just witnessed how Baade had removed the frozen arena just as easily as he had set it.

A malicious smile appeared on Baade's face as he emitted a small chuckle. "Good luck, boy."

"Jessie!" Zecora and Twilight cried.

Baade then lowered his hand in a dramatic fashion, causing the shards to fly at Jessie from seemingly every possible angle. At the same time, Jessie released a blazing tornado of fire, encompassing himself as the deadly shards closed in. Many of them had evaporated instantaneously, the heat of the fire causing the ice to turn to steam the moment they had melted into water. Unfortunately, some of the bigger shards had outlasted the raging barrier and found their mark on Jessie's body, entering in with a sickening flesh-splitting thud.

The fiery spiral had ceased the moment the ice-shard barrage had ended and at the very center where fire and ice clashed was Jessie, on his hands and knees, having virtually become a human pin-cushion. Jessie had managed to protect the fatal parts of his person, but it had left his limbs his back and the rest of his figure skewered by ice. In a way, he resembled a porcupine, which only went to show just how many frozen slivers spiked his body.

"Jessie!" Twilight ran back to Jessie, who had collapsed face first onto the ground. "Jessie, I promise, I'll get you out of here. Zecora!"

Zecora was already on her way and examined Jessie's body upon reaching him. "This is very bad Twilight Sparkle. Even if he had shielded his vital areas, he can still bleed out once the ice melts. We have to get him somewhere for treatment this instant but…"

"But that isn't going to be easy with me here, is it?" Baade finished. Twilight turned to Baade, her horn glowing, her nostrils flaring, and a hoof scuffing against the ground challengingly. "Oh?" Baade said, raising an eyebrow in amusement. "So the little mare thinks she can take me on? Well then, do indulge yourself, let us see the extent of your power."

Right away, a purple beam of magical energy flew from her horn. At first, Baade made no indication to dodge it, but as it drew closer, his eyes widened, and he moved to the side, the spell flying by nearly hitting its target. He then turned back to Twilight, giving her a leery grin.

"That's a surprising amount of power you have there, young Unicorn. Why I… Wait a minute I've seen you before..." Baade furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at Twilight. "It's you! The one directing that massive spell that nearly wiped me out in the Badlands. Looks like you seem to have an incredibly adept grasp of magic, unlike this one here," Baade motioned towards Jessie. "He has a lot of power, however the way he wields it, its clumsy, unpracticed. You on the other hand, you seem to know what you're doing. However…" Baade gave Twilight a once over with his eyes. "You don't seem like one for combat. No rather, you're used to settling matters with overwhelming force, is that not correct?"

Twilight bit the inside of her cheek apprehensively. In a sense, it was true, like the incident with the Ursa Minor. Rather than actually fighting it, using her magical abilities she had managed to subdue it completely without any resistance from it. Against Baade, she wasn't sure how she would fare. She looked back at Jessie who was now shouldered by Zecora. Steeling her will, she turned back to Baade, digging her hoof into the ground in a defying gesture once more.

"I will not be an easy opponent Baade," Twilight stated, giving him a tiger-like glare.

"I do doubt your words quite incredibly," Baade said with a frown, "but perhaps you can prove me wrong. How do you like this?" Baade pointed an index finger at her, and from the tip shot out a narrow red beam. A small gasp left Twilight and she reflexively created a pink barrier that reflected beam back at Baade.

"Tch." Baade put up his hand, "catching" the beam. After successfully blocking the counter he began to applaud Twilight. "Bravo dear pony. You managed to deflect one of my higher level spells, you are indeed a very skilled opponent. But let's see how you fare in a more _mobile _confrontation."

Baade rushed in towards Twilight at an alarming speed, and with a small "eep!" Twilight teleported away, a second before Baade had reached her location. As he skidded to a stop and turned, another beam of magic was already flying at him, hitting him square in the chest. The blast sent him off his feet and unto his rear.

"Well aimed and well timed, but you lack power." Baade pushed himself back up on his feet. "Next time, with feeling, if you can my little _pony_."

Taking his advice as a challenge, Twilight sent forth another attack, the beam much larger and traveled more quickly. Baade attempted to catch the beam once more, but was thrown off when the beam began to zigzag as it neared him, striking him on the side of the abdomen. He doubled over and Twilight looked at him smugly.

"Well, then, how was _that?_" She cockily asked.

"Not bad, not bad at all. I can sense the depth of your power, and at the same time, the way you wield your spells shows how practiced you are. But just like the last, your attack lacked the power to overwhelm my wards." Baade managed stand straight as he continued to address Twilight. "Unfortunately for you, I'm done with this game. There are things I must do, and someone I have to kill."

As Baade tried to make a movement towards Zecora who currently shouldered Jessie, a magical rope had ensnared his ankle, preventing him from any closer.

"You are _not _going to hurt him."

With a mighty heave, albeit through the proxy of magic, Twilight lifted him away and tossed him back, over her head and away from Jessie. Baade landed neatly on his feet, his face displaying his aggravation.

"I believe I said that I am finished!" In his anger, Baade unleashed a similar lightning spell Jessie had been using, directing it at Twilight. Twilight countered with another beam of magical energy and as the two spells collided, a small explosion occurred, creating a dirty brown haze. As Twilight shielded her eyes, she barely caught sight of Baade's silhouette rushing towards her. Unable to react in time, she could only close her eyes and brace for the impact that was about to occur.

A bone-cracking crunch then caught her ear and when she opened her eyes she saw that she was looking at Jessie's back, riddled with shards of ice. In front of him was Baade who was sitting on the ground, agonizing groans escaping his throat as he placed his right hand over his rib cage. "Aaahhgg… I think two or three ribs are broken…"

"I think you should use this time to get away Jessie!"

"Fuck… that…"

"Don't be standing there like a pair of nitwits; we should use time to run you idiots!"

"I'm not running."

"Nor am I."

Twilight and Jessie then looked to Baade who pushed himself up, still nursing his broken ribs. "It appears the tables have turned… well then…" Baade snapped his fingers, however rather than usual action of turning into smoke, nothing had happened. "Oh dear, it appears I'm too tired for something so complicated."

"Looks like you're not getting away either," Twilight retorted.

"On the contrary my dear pony, you'll see that I am more than capable of _running._" Baade then kicked up a violent gust of wind, recreating the haze. After Twilight unshielded her eyes, she found Baade to be nowhere in sight.

"Oh no, he got away!"

"Twilight, not only has Baade withdrawn, it appears that Jessie too, has gone."

Twilight looked to her left and right, confirming Zecora's observation. "He must've gone after Baade, but which way did they go?" Twilight and Zecora looked around in their foggy surroundings, trying vainly to determine the direction the two humans had went.

* * *

Jessie and Baade stumbled clumsily through the forest, their injuries preventing them from achieving any amount of running speed as they blundered their way through the foliage. It would have been a comical spectacle had their not been fatal consequences should the former catch up to the latter. As Baade shied away from protruding branches, Jessie would grab and pull on them in an attempt to drag himself closer to his target.

Jessie's eyes had practically burned holes into Baade's back as he continued to give chase. His vision reddened and his heavy breathing transformed into growls of frustration. Jessie had transformed into a beast pursuing its prey, and in that moment, Jessie wanted nothing more than to wrap his hands around Baade's neck and strangle him.

The thicket began to recede, indicating they were approaching a clearing. Baade exited the brush and Jessie pushed himself to catch up. Once Jessie was free from the forest, he saw Baade standing, staring hopelessly at a river, at least fifty feet in width. The river coursed violently, flowing downstream with such vehemence that anything unlucky enough to be caught within it was susceptible to a watery death.

"Nowhere left to run… jerk face…" Jessie bumbled his way towards Baade, nearly tripping over his own feet. Once Baade was within arm's length, he turned and reached for Jessie. This caused the two to engage in an awkward grappling situation, with neither one exerting any amount of commanding strength. Baade was hunched over, trying to prevent excessive movement in his ribs, while Jessie was forced to handle Baade gingerly, lest he should try to push any of the spikes embedded into Jessie any deeper. During the struggle, both seemed to have the same idea of tossing the other into the raging rapids, bringing the wrestling duo closer to the river. Trying to utilize a judo-style leg sweep Jessie had observed on a martial arts program once before, Jessie placed his left leg behind Baade's, and attempted to push Baade down using his leg as a tipping point.

While Jessie was able to overpower Baade using the technique, Baade's leg ended up touching and inevitably pushing in deeper the shard of ice that was stabbed into Jessie's calf, causing Jessie to writhe in pain. With Baade tripping over Jessie's leg while still clutching onto Jessie, added with the sudden pain in his leg, Jessie also lost his balance, causing him to fall into the river right on top of Baade. Upon submerging into the water, the two still continued to grapple with each other, until the energy of the river that carried them downstream tore them apart, with the reality of drowning now in their minds.

Jessie tried to keep his head above the water by kicking down on the river bottom, forcing himself up. Whenever his head breached the surface of the water, he would take in a large breath before the current pulled him back under. Each time, his kicks would become weaker and weaker, until it came to the point where Jessie had to orient his head upwards to get his oral and nasal orifices just barely past the surface of the water.

At the same time, Jessie's vision began to redden, this time not from the desire to kill, but from the blood that began to escape from his wounds. As he stayed in the water, the water began to erode and melt the spikes gored into him, opening the wounds that besieged his body. Jessie then attempted to kick himself up past the surface of the water, short. Completely exhausted, Jessie stopped, simply holding in his breath as he allowed the water to push towards wherever it was going to end, hoping he would end up in a less intense body of water.

Drifting along with the current in an almost meditative state, Jessie began to observe Baade, who seemed to have taken the same approach as he did, except his eyes were closed and small bubbles left his mouth as he slowly exhaled the air within his lungs.

As Jessie's lungs begged for fresh air, Jessie slowly came to terms with the fact that this may be where he dies. Looking at Baade, he felt somewhat accomplished, until an arm that looked remarkable like his shot into the water, grabbed Baade by the clothing, and pulled the wizard out. At this point, Jessie was unable to comprehend what had happened nor bothered to care, the blood loss and lack of oxygen causing his mind to drift away with the current.

Jessie's lungs then exhaled collapsing on themselves and giving in, expelling the old air and ready to fill themselves with the bloody water that encompassed Jessie. A second before the fatal intake of breath, Jessie was encapsulated in a magical aura and drawn away from the water. The moment Jessie broke the surface of the water, his instinctively to take in massive amounts of air, greedily taking in the oxygen. By the riverside controlling the magic that brought Jessie out was Twilight, and she gently placed him on the bank.

Twilight then looked upriver and spotted, about thirty feet away, Baade being shouldered by a hooded, humanoid figure. The figure looked towards her location, though she couldn't make out the face as the hood created a shadow that masked his appearance. The figure then turned away, dragging along Baade as it entered the woodlands on the other side of the river.

Normally, Twilight would have begun theorizing the existence behind what appeared to be the _third _human, but her attention was immediately drawn to Jessie. The ice had already melted and his wounds were now bleeding freely. Using her magic, she levitated him in the air and applied an invisible pressure from all directions, momentarily stopping the bleeding.

"We have very little time to waste; we must make way to Ponyville with haste!" Zecora emerged from the forest, reciting her suggestion. Twilight nodded, and still continuing to levitate Jessie, teleported herself, Zecora, and Jessie away from the depths of the Everfree forest.

* * *

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! This is the second time the ambassador had emerged from the Everfree forest beaten, battered, and torn to bits. The Princess is going to have me impeached from office! Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!" Mayor Mare fretted right outside the emergency room where Zecora, the mane six, and Tiff also waited. Tiff stood apart from the other ponies, standing right in front of the doors to the emergency room, waiting for anypony to come out and tell her the condition of her brother.

As she waited, the sights and smells of the hospital began to trigger certain memories buried within the deep recesses of her mind. She recalled a machine with a line that would spike occasionally, a woman on a bed being treated by frantic doctors, and her brother, holding her hand, with the guiltiest expression she had ever seen on his face. But as these memories assaulted her thoughts, she shook her head, not caring about what happened in the past, but worrying about what is currently happening to her brother now.

The doors then opened, revealing a light brown male unicorn with a darker brown mane and tail wearing a pair of spectacles, a stethoscope around his neck, and a doctor's uniform. The ponies waiting all approached him as he prepared to give the news.

"The patient has been stabilized and is now being moved to the Intensive Care Unit. He had lost a substantial amount of blood, but by using a blood-replication spell we have managed to prevent…" The doctor trailed off as he tried to find the best choice of words. "…anything serious. He should be making a full physical recovery within a few weeks, although from a mental standpoint, an attack from… what was it you said it was again Twilight?"

"An Ice Elemental," she quickly fibbed. The doctor seemed to buy into it easily and continued.

"Right, well a mental recovery could take months, maybe never, or maybe he'll be fine, which I sincerely doubt. We'll be allowing visitors tomorrow but for the moment, it's best if you all return home and rest." The doctor then walked away, leaving the group to themselves.

"Mayor Mare, you shouldn't worry about the Princesses retribution, I'll see to it that they understand," Twilight assured the mayor.

"But what about the human council?! If they come to the knowledge that I had allowed the ambassador to get hurt it-"

"Yeah, yeah, it'll be fine, I'll handle it," Twilight insisted, trying to lay the mayor's fears to rest. _Maybe it would just be simpler to start telling the truth at this point,_ she thought.

* * *

An hour later, in the library, Tiff was asleep in her bed and the mane six were gathered on the second floor of the library holding a meeting, with Princess Luna in attendance.

"And you say Jessie's magic was actually capable of harming Baade?" Princess Luna asked Twilight who nodded vigorously.

"I couldn't believe it myself, apparently the theory behind human immunity was wrong or something and Jessie realized this."

"And even with Baade's superior magical abilities this put them on an equalized playing field. However?"

Twilight sighed, regretting what she did. "I ended up getting involved, prompting Jessie to go out of his way to protect me, and unintentionally leading him to get injured first."

"Thereby giving Baade the advantage," Princess Luna concluded, surmising correctly. "Yet it seems he had begun to retreat?"

"After Jessie was heavily injured, I had continued to fight in his place. Once again, I found myself about to be on the receiving end of a dangerous attack, but this time Jessie intercepted Baade and broke some of his ribs. By then, Baade was too exhausted to use his get-away spell, so he used whatever hidden vestige of energy he had left to create a fog. Jessie managed to keep an eye on him and followed him, and it took me and Zecora a while to find where they went.

We found that they had somehow fallen into the river, so we followed it downstream until we saw this really bloody patch of water just moving down. We then see Baade being pulled out of the water by what looked like another human, but we couldn't see his or her face since he or she was hooded. We didn't even bother to confront him since we were busy trying to get Jessie out of the water. After I had pulled him out, I looked back at the could-be human who then disappeared into the woods with Baade around that person's shoulders."

"Hmm," Luna placed a hoof on her chin contemplatively, "if the human had entered this world through the crystal, my sister would have sensed it. Baade must have somehow created this being and-"

"Do you think he could have used the mirror pool?" Rainbow Dash interrupted. Rarity dramatically swooned at the thought.

"To think that we may have to deal with _two _of that monster, it's just too hard to bear."

"Two? If I were him I'd make a ton and a ton and a ton and a ton of me! But of course I learned a doozy of a lesson last time but I don't think that such a big ole' baddie of a daddy would actually bother about others and just go ahead and do it anyways and-" Pinkie Pie was interrupted when Applejack decided to stuff her mouth with her hoof.

"That's enough theorizin' outta you Pinkie, whadya think Twi?"

Twilight shook her head. "To be honest, I don't know. If he did duplicate himself, that would mean the figure I saw was a clone and should have been able to attack me with magic, but it chose not to. At the same time, maybe it's possible the clone, if it really is a clone, was somehow rendered incapable of using magic, the same way mirror pool clones are created with the same personality but lacking the memories of the original."

Princess Luna sighed as she rubbed her brow exasperatingly. "Just when it seems we might have the upper hand, news like this comes up." She then got up and looked out the window, towards the direction of the Ponyville Hospital. "But what worries me most is whether or not Jessie will choose to stay after having his own mortality hanging on an incredibly thin thread."

"There's no way he would just leave," Twilight said unconvincingly. "I mean, he's risked his life before, how would this be any different?"

"He has overcome challenges through wit and will, but he was unable to overcome this one in the same manner. He was lucky, lucky that you had managed to find him. I have feeling that even if you hadn't exposed yourself, the outcome with his fight against Baade would have still been negative. No one likes to rely on luck, especially a fighter like him."

"No way!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed defiantly, "Jess wouldn't leave us like that!"

"Shh," Twilight hissed at Rainbow Dash, "Tiff's still sleeping."

"The little one, does she still know nothing?" Luna asked Twilight, her face evident with concern. Twilight nodded and looked down the stairs, making sure Rainbow Dash's outburst hadn't woken Tiff up.

"Anyways, that's all I can report to you princess, we'll tend to Jessie in the meanwhile." Princess Luna acknowledged the end of the report and stepped out onto the balcony, flying into the night sky.

* * *

Within three days, after much arguing, insisting, and "pulling rank" Jessie managed to be released from the Ponyville Hospital. His body was heavily bandaged and the doctor still insisted that he spent most of his time in bed. The day after he spent most day in bed and was visited by Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack as Twilight and Tiff tended to his needs, helping him up whenever he needed to get out of bed.

"So how's he doing?" Fluttershy asked Twilight as she stood before the doorway to the library. It has now been three days since Jessie was released from the hospital and Twilight begun to worry about Jessie's resolve. Most of the time he has been silent, responding with either a yes, no, or shrug and never elaborating anything further.

"He seems fine, but he hasn't said much. By the way, Fluttershy, have you seen Tiff? She seems to have gone missing."

Fluttershy shook her head in response. "I'm really sorry; I can't say that I have. Do you mind if I step in and see if I could talk to Jessie? Maybe cheer him up a little?"

"Well, you're certainly welcome to try." Twilight stepped aside to allow the meek Pegasus walk past her. Fluttershy then knocked on the door to Jessie's room.

"Um, Jessie, it's Fluttershy, I'm coming inside okay?" As Fluttershy opened the door, she emitted a small "eep!" prompting Twilight to walk over.

"What seems to be the problem Fluttershy?"

"It's Jessie!" Fluttershy widened the opening to the room and pointed a hoof at the empty bed. "He's gone!"


	12. What's up Manhattan

**Authors Note (minor spoilers for this chapter): I'd like to apologize in advance in case I get any of my New York information incorrect. I had to do a bunch of research but even then I'm still not entirely sure if any of the information I have in this chapter is accurate. **

**(chapter update) Special shout out to Kingwasabi for correcting my Greek Mythology (I originally mentioned Prometheus when it was supposed to be Atlas .)  
**

* * *

"Oh dear! It appears he has left, doesn't it?" Rarity observed as she walked into the room. Already there was Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight searching the room for any indication of where Tiff or Jessie could be. Pinkie Pie dashed around the room in a panic, blathering on and on about how it was all her fault.

"I'm so sorry I'm so sorry I'm so sorry! It's entirely my fault! Jessie wouldn't have been in the Everfree if he had a decent place to practice his magic and he would have had a decent place to practice his magic had one of us offered him a place to practice and I'm a part of one of us and I have a very good place to practice and it's somewhere deep within the Everfree forest which means he would've been in the forest anyways and…"

As Pinkie Pie continued to blabber, the other five tried to hold an emergency meeting.

"There is no way that Jessie just ditched us! There's gotta be some kinda explanation!" Rainbow Dash began. Applejack was quick to agree.

"That's right, ain't no way that 'un would just up and leave us to the wolves."

"But then, wherever could he be? Tiff isn't around either…" Fluttershy added.

"I'm sure he's just off on business, after all he's our friend… right?" The answer to Rarity's question was obvious, and after she had asked, Pinkie Pie hopped, making a sweeping declaration.

"We have to find him! And when we do, we give him the bestest most meaningfully amazing and awesome group hug ever given in the universe's history!"

"But where in tarnation would he be?"

Twilight exited the room and walked up to the crystal ball placed on a pedestal in the public section of the library. The other five followed suit and examined the pink crystal ball. "If he really went away, then there's only one place he would go. Back home."

"Well then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" As Rainbow Dash extended a hoof towards the crystal ball, it was slapped away by Twilight. "Hey! What gives!"

"We can't go into the human world looking like _this. _We won't be able to walk around freely. I'm planning on making us look human but I'm going to need a frame of reference. I was thinking we could go ask the princess and maybe she would-"

"What about this?" Pinkie Pie came bounding in holding a magazine. "I found it right under Jessie's bed!" Using her magic, Twilight held the magazine in front of her face, examining the cover of the magazine. In the front was what she assumed to be a human female, on her knees in a two piece bathing suit, about to remove the top. As she rifled through the pages, she found many more women in interesting outfits, slowly stripping out of them. For a minute or two, the ponies were interested in what the magazine displayed and curiously looked over the pictures as Twilight flipped through the pages.

"I don't get it, is it a fashion magazine?" Fluttershy so naively suggested. Rarity shook her head.

"I think not. The point in fashion is to _wear _the clothes, but these er, umm…"

"I think the word is 'women'," Twilight assisted.

"Right, these women seem to be more interested in getting out of them."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and impatiently poked Twilight on the shoulder. "Well you have your reference; you think you can turn us human?"

"Hmm, well I have been studying the human anatomy from the books I received from the human world but the amount of magic it would take would still be significant, that's why I still think we should contact the princesses and…"

"But that could take forever!" Rainbow Dash continually argued. "C'mon Twilight, you're like _the _best non-royal magical user we know, can't you do anything?"

Twilight pursed her lips doubtfully. "I… Well I can try I guess…" She looked up at her friends and gave them a warm smile. "Well, who's first?" The other five ponies exchanged nervous glances and smiles.

* * *

"Well then, have a good time at work, _doctor_," Mindy said coyly, kissing Mendel on the lips before playfully pushing him away.

"Yeah, if by a good time you mean re-stitching some woman's C-section scar, sure." Mendel waved Mindy goodbye as he exited her apartment, with Mindy waving back with her fingers. Once the door closed, Mindy went to her living room.

The living room was rather plain, but obviously feminine, with the three-seated couch adorned with a lacey pink floral covering. The coffee table in front, which had her laptop on top, was ornately carved in such a way that it represented an old-styled Chinese rooftop. A small side table beside the couch had a pink telephone placed on top beside a vase of flowers.

Mindy herself was dressed rather homey. She had on one of Mendel's long white shirts that reached all the way past her knees and wore fuzzy pink bunny slippers. Her hair was no longer red, having removed the dye and returning it back to its natural brunette.

Mindy plopped unto the couch and opened the laptop. She accessed her e-mail and frowned after seeing the dozens of messages she has been receiving lately ever since near the end of July, all coming from the same person, Chaz Gumataotao. She ignored the messages, spotting the one work-related e-mail she had been waiting for all week. Seeing the wall of text she had to read, she stood back up and went to her little kitchenette to prepare a cup of coffee. Mindy noticed the pot had gone cold and flipped the switch on the coffee maker to reheat the beverage. As she waited, she heard a sudden crash coming from the locked guest bedroom in which the crystal was kept.

Worried, she walked to the door and knocked on it three times. "Um, hello? Jessie? Tiff? Any of you guys in there?" To her surprise, rather than the sound of a little girl or an adult male, she was greeted by the groan of what sounded like multiple women. More skeptical than ever, she retrieved a key from a nearby set of drawers and unlocked the door. After she had thrown the door wide open, Mindy could barely contain her gasp.

There on the floor, clumsily entangled together were six women. Due to their hourglass figures, large chests, round bottoms, and angelic faces they appeared to be models, and every one of them was completely and utterly naked. But despite their beautifully sculpted bodies, what stood out most was their hair; each one with a hairdo that looked incredibly similar to one of the mane six from Friendship is Magic. **(Author's Note: yes I know I skimmed a little on their appearance but I'm too unskilled to address the whole issue of ethnic diversity and decided it would be less awkward if I left their ethnic appearance go unmentioned)**

Mindy stood at the doorway and blinked dumbly at the girls who lay sprawled on the floor as they returned the expression, blinking dumbly up at her. After a moment of awkward silence, the one with Twilight-like hair stood up, standing cumbersomely as if it was her first time, and addressed Mindy.

"Um, hi, Mindy, long time no see. If you haven't made the connection yet, I'm Twilight and I know this is awkward but um-"

"Oh I made that connection," Mindy interrupted, "I'm just wondering why you girls are all naked."

Twilight raised a questioning eyebrow. "Is that a bad thing? These girls seem quite eager to get out of their clothes. We found the magazine under Jessie's bed." Twilight picked up the magazine she and her friends were viewing earlier and handed it to Mindy. Mindy took one look at the cover and smirked.

"Playboy Magazine, featuring ten pictorials from top models of the orient… Yeah, and Jessie keeps saying he doesn't have an Asian fetish. Well, I guess this would explain why you girls look like super models."

"Oh? Are we attractive by human standards?" Rarity asked. She seemed to be posing as she examined her body, prompting Mindy to think she was a natural-born model.

"You girls have _no _idea." Mindy helped the rest of the girls up and helped them to find their balance. "First thing's first, we gotta get you girls in some clothes." She clapped her hands together enthusiastically then looked over the ladies bodies once more, estimating their sizes, before frowning.

"Might be a little tight on the top," Mindy told them. She then examined Applejack's breasts, which seemed to be an entire size bigger than the others, causing Mindy to give her an awkward expression with a sweat drop dripping down the side of her head. "You're gonna have to wear one of Jessie's shirts AJ."

Mindy had finished outfitting the girls within the hour, struggling to fit the girls into her clothing. The end result was that the girls were dressed in clothes tight enough to conform to their body shape, thus accentuating their provocative features. Mindy could only look at them in disbelief as they squirmed uncomfortably in their tight clothing, having inadvertently made them look even more attractive. Mindy had them all in jeans and given each of the girls some slip-on shoes. Applejack, who had on one of Jessie's "I-love-NYC", with a heart representing "love", t-shirts, kept trying to pull the shirt down to cover her belly button, but her chest size pulled the shirt forward and thereby raised it, revealing her navel.

"Well, that's the best I could do." Mindy looked towards Applejack's direction. "Oh if only Jessie could see you now AJ…"

"Pard'n?"

"Guys like it when pretty girls wear their shirts. Especially when they happen to be as well-endowed as you."

"Endowed?"

"Ahem," Twilight cleared her throat, getting Mindy's attention. "I'm sorry to be blunt, and I do appreciate you dressing us up but I think it's time we told you why we're here. We're looking for Jessie. We have reason to believe that he may have taken his sister and ran away."

Mindy regarded Twilight skeptically. "That doesn't sound like Jessie, why would he do that?"

"He just recently had a very bad encounter with Baade and nearly died. We fear that his resolve wavers." Twilight watched as Mindy walked over to a nearby set of drawers within the room. She pulled out, what appeared to Twilight, were two pocket books before putting them back in the topmost drawer.

"Well, their passports are still here, so I don't think they're running away. Are you sure you girls looked everywhere?" Twilight responded with a nod and Mindy placed her index fingers and thumb on her chin in thought. "Well, supposing that he is thinking about his own mortality, he could be out checking out the sights here in New York City, taking them in just in case… well you know. And if that's the case, it would be better if you girls just waited for him to come back."

"No way Jose!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed defiantly. "We're going to find him and show him some first class loving before bringing him back to Ponyville!"

Mindy couldn't help but snort as she attempted to stifle her laughter. "Oh, I'm sure Jessie will have a very hard time saying no to that…" The ponies-turned-humans looked at Mindy befuddled, wondering how she continues to find amusement in their situation.

"Yes well, anyways," Mindy said regaining composure, "Even if he's here in the city, you're not going to be able to find him that easily. The city spans in an area of about twelve hundred kilometers squared."

The ponies looked to Twilight asking for a translation. "That's… big…" Twilight informed them. "But it's not like we're going to be walking around blindly, looking for him. If Mindy's theory of Jessie checking out the sights is true, then we'd have specific locations to go look for him in."

"I guess that's true but come on, this is _New York City, _Manhattan alone-"

"Manehattan, did you just Manehattan ?" Applejack interrupted.

"_Man_hattan," Mindy corrected, "Manhattan is the name of the borough we're currently standing on, it's an entire island all to itself."

"Oh my," Fluttershy said, "a borough that takes up an entire island and connects to the rest of the city… Maybe we are better off waiting for Jessie."

"Nu uh!" Rainbow Dash disagreed. "We're here so we might as well try. We'll check Manehattan-"

"_Man_hattan," Mindy corrected.

"-and wait for him at home if we don't find him," Rainbow Dash finished her sentence. The ponies nodded in consensus and looked to Mindy who sighed.

"Okay, I'll show you girls around I guess, wasn't exactly looking forward to reading the huge wall of text in my inbox anyways. Just let me get some coffee first, it's going to be a long day…"

* * *

The ponies-turned-humans looked around them in amazement, eyes wide and mouths open as they marveled at the buildings that towered over them, the electronic billboards that dazzled them with their flashy advertisements, and the hustle and bustle of the various people that walked by. On a nearby street corner was a man wearing shutter shades playing a jazzy tune on a saxophone, a fedora placed upside down in front of him where the more charitable passerby's dropped changed or small bills.

"Welcome girls to Times Square!" Mindy declared. "I suggest you stay away from the men, they're just begging for an excuse to get close and cop a feel of you pretty ladies."

Rarity's attention was drawn in by a bronzed figure of a man standing on one leg on a box. The bronze figure had on bronzed brimmed hat, bronze shades, and a bronze business suit. She approached the figure and looked at it curiously. Some of the pedestrians that walked by put money in a small cup placed in front of it.

"A rather curious place to put a statue," Rarity observed. "But such a magnificent piece of work should be placed on such a tawdry foundation. And it looked like ponies, er, I mean people, are presenting it with money, it is an offering perhaps?"

The girls gathered around the bronzed figure and Mindy pulled out her wallet, taking out a five-dollar bill and placing it in the cup. "Ole' Lincoln wants a good scare."

The girls exchanged glances after hearing Mindy's esoteric request and when they looked back at the statue, it turned its head and said, "Boo!" prompting them to jump back and shriek, before it, or apparently, he, returned to his original position. Mindy was in a fit of giggles. "Oh my god, that was worth every penny."

After she had recovered, Twilight addressed the situation. "Ha ha, very funny, you got us. Now, it doesn't seem that Jessie is around here."

"Figured it was a longshot, I already took him through here after 'convincing' him to go shopping with me and my boyfriend but since it's on the way I figured why not?"

"Um, on the way to what exactly?" Fluttershy asked who skittishly tried to avoid making contact with any of the people that kept walking on by.

To answer Fluttershy's question Mindy took her hand and began to led her and the other ponies through the crowd. After a few minutes of walking and a couple of turns they arrived at a blackened-bronze statue of a giant bearing an armillary sphere over his shoulders and behind his head.

"Now that's a huge statue," Rainbow Dash stated in awe.

"It's not going to come alive like the last one either, will it?" Rarity asked as she hid behind Mindy. Mindy laughed and shook her head.

"No it won't. That's a Statue of Atlas, a titan from a legend. Since he defied the gods he was forced to carry the world on his back. This the Rockefeller Center, normally around the winter holidays the Christmas tree and Ice Skating rink brings in people, but the behind-the-scenes tours of NBC and the observation deck usually brings in people year round."

The ponies simply nodded, not understanding half of what Mindy said. Pinkie Pie's face then lit up as she walked up to Mindy and grasped her shoulders, shaking her comically. "A picture! Do you have a picture of Jessie?!"

Mindy pulled away from Pinkie and raised her hands in front of her protectively. "Yeah yeah yeah, give me a moment." She pulled out her phone from her pocket and her thumb began to slide across it. Intrigued by the device, the ponies gathered around and looked over Mindy's shoulder.

"Ooh what's that?"

"A phone. A _mobile _phone," Mindy quickly added before they pointed out the fact it looks nothing like a phone.

"What's a phone?"

Mindy chided herself as she then remembered that no even phones existed in the Pony world. "It's a device that allows one to communicate with other people over a long distance with our voices."

"Does that mean you can contact Jessie?"

Mindy palmed her face as she chided herself once more. "…Yes, don't bother asking me why I haven't thought about in the first place, you girls caught me in the moment."

"But if you weren't going to contact him, what were you planning on doing?" Twilight asked.

"I was looking up his picture on the internet."

"What?"

"Oh no…"

After calling Jessie's phone, to which there was no response, Mindy spent the next hour explaining human technology to the ponies as they admired the artistry found within the Rockefeller Center while keeping a maintain a constant vigil for Jessie. Once Mindy finished and they all felt they had explored enough they exited through the Fifth Avenue entrance back at the statue of Atlas bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"Do you have the picture yet?" Pinkie Pie suddenly asked Mindy.

"Oh yeah that's right, I forgot about that…" Mindy fiddled with her phone for a few seconds before handing it to Pinkie Pie. On the screen courtesy of Google Images, was Jessie, his fist raised victoriously in the air after his win over Lloyd Block. With the phone in hand, Pinkie approached the base of the statue. "Pinkie, what are you doi – uh oh."

Pinkie Pie had scaled the statue and now stood at the very top, balancing precariously on one of the rings of the armillary sphere. The spectacle of a busty pink-haired woman waving a phone on top of the statue of Atlas drew an immediate crowd.

"Heeeeeeey everypony, er I mean everybody! We're looking for someone named Jessie Santiago, he looks like thiiiiiiiiiiiiis!" Pinkie Pie waved the phone wildly as she called out to everybody within sight.

"What the?"

"Who is she?"

"She's looking for who now?"

"Jessie Santiago? Isn't he that one boxer?"

"A girlfriend perhaps?"

"Doesn't her hair look a lot like Pinkie Pie's from FIM?"

"Those must be her friends below."

"Are they cosplayers?"

"I though Santiago lived all the way on the west coast?"

"Actually he lives in the Pacific on an island called Gum."

"Gum, what kind of island is called Gum?"

"It's Guam morons."

"Oi!" A security guard called out to the overzealous mare-turned-woman. "Get down from there this instant!"

Mindy and the other five ponies had to cover their faces in embarrassment.

After a proper scolding of Pinkie Pie, the seven women left the proximity of the Rockefeller Center.

"Well, that's two places down. Now we could go north to Central Park or we could go south to the Empire State Building," Mindy suggested.

Rainbow Dash raised a skeptical eyebrow. "A park or a building? Why would Jessie want to go to any of those places?"

"Central Park is about eight-hundred and forty acres large has a zoo, plenty of playgrounds and lots of open space making it a great place for him to spend time with Tiff, not to mention the beautiful landscaping and the fact that it is our country's oldest public park. The Empire State Building is the tallest building in New York at one hundred and two stories, or twelve hundred feet, is an architectural gem, and has some restaurants at the lobby should you get hungry," Mindy informed Rainbow Dash with a cocky smile.

Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped and she turned to the rest of her friends. "The human world is. So. _Awesome._"

The group settled on Central Park and once more the ponies were awed by its size and majesty. The park was practically blanketed by trees, whose leaves had begun to show tinges of brown, orange, and yellow, indicating that fall was near, with various clearings in which the park enthusiasts performed various activities. The grass that carpeted the ground was a sunny light green and glistened with dew.

The ponies observed a human throwing a Frisbee, and a Great Dane chasing after it, jumping up into the air, and catching it in its mouth. They saw a group of human males, chasing after one man holding an egg shaped ball.

Fluttershy had begun to frolic through the park, amazed by the beauty of nature thriving in the middle of heavy urbanization. As she neared the center of the park, the sound of small barking caught her ears and she turned, seeing a Golden Retriever pup run with a brown collar run towards her. She took to a knee and allowed the pup to jump on her and lick her face.

"Aw, such an adorable little puppy! I just want to take you home and make you mine," she said with puckered lips and a cutesy voice. "But I see you're collared, wherever could your owner be?"

As if right on cue, an athletic looking man with silky brown hair, stubble on his face, and an incredibly photogenic smile came running up to her. "Haha, sorry about that," the man said with a grin as he rubbed the back of his head. By now, the other six women had caught up to Fluttershy and Mindy noticed a gleam coming from the man's eye that shouted "jackpot!"

"Oh, hello there. Would this cute puppy be yours?" Fluttershy asked, standing up while holding the puppy in her arms. The puppy was positioned right between her breasts, which Mindy knew the man used as an excuse to look at Fluttershy's chest.

"That's right, isn't he a cute little fella?" the man then leaned forward and placed his hands on his knees as he addressed the puppy within Fluttershy's heavenly valley, prompting Mindy to roll her eyes in disgust. "I found him lost on the streets and he just looked so sad. I'm not normally a dog person, or for that matter a pet person, but seeing him shivering in the cold with nary a bite to eat, I just had to put aside my personal preferences be the better person, and take of this little guy."

A collective "aww" came from the ponies and Mindy had to shake her head in disbelief at the ease in which the man charmed them.

"You seem to like the little guy, don't ya? You know, I'm having this little get together over at my place, obviously this little guy is gonna be there as well, why don't you and your friends come on over? It'll be fun."

"That does sound quite lovely," Fluttershy began, "but we're actually looking for a friend of ours."

Mindy used this as an opportunity to step into the conversation. "Actually, more of a cousin," she said pulling out her phone with a picture of Jessie, "Jessie Santiago, heard of him? He may seem like a beast in the ring but he's actually pretty endearing. He's also so protective of us, one time Francesca," Mindy patted Fluttershy indicating she was Francesca, "went out with a guy who wouldn't open the door for her. So just to teach him a lesson Jessie ended up slamming a door over his hand. Sweet huh?"

The man responded with a nervous laugh. "Ha ha… yeah… Um…" He reached out for his puppy, and, after Fluttershy had given it back, excused himself with a curt nod of his head. "Sorry for disturbing you girls."

"Um, I don't get why you had to scare him off like that?" Fluttershy asked with a frown.

Rarity nodded her head. "Yes, quite a charming individual, I know we're supposed to be searching for Jessie but there was no need to be so rude."

"Oh, there was need alright. Watch." Mindy pointed to the man who had put some distance between the ground of girls and himself. They watched as he lowered his puppy and directed its attention at two attractive women walking side by side. With a pat on the rear, the puppy went off and after the two women. "He uses the cute little puppy as a reason to approach women, and while they're caught up in its cute little eyes he invites them over to his place, again using the puppy as an excuse for them to visit. Everything else he said about it being all lost in the cold is all garbage. I do give him credit though for being able to train a puppy to do that."

Rarity scoffed and turned her head away from the man indignantly. "Huh! Men are such _swine!_"

Mindy had begun to lead the ponies towards the Central Park Zoo when Applejack began to notice a group of four men following them. "Um, Mindy? I don't s'pose followin' women in a creepy-like fashion is another pickup tactic?"

The group stopped, and having been found out, the four men surrounded them. All had large upper bodies but disproportionally thin lower bodies, as if all they did was lift. Their hair was gelled and spiked upwards, wore sunglasses even though it wasn't all that sunny, had on shorts and sleeveless undershirts, flip flops on their feet, and had tans that made them look like Oompa Loompas. Or Snooki.

"Sup girls," greeted the largest of the four with an upward jerk of his head.

"This is Central park, assholes," Mindy said, "you can't do as you like here."

A smirk appeared on the large one's face as he walked around Mindy, ignoring her and approaching Applejack. "That's a nice set of knockers you got there girl. Let papa have a squeeze…" As his hand reached out for Applejack's breast he was pushed aside by Rainbow Dash who stood between Applejack and him.

"Back off you perv!"

"Feisty, you like 'em scrappy don't you Matt?" The man turned his head to the right, throwing the question at a skinnier man who he called Matt. Matt gave the man a thumbs up and an approving nod. "Well, then this one's for you then Matt." Without warning, the large man grabbed Rainbow Dash by the shoulders roughly and threw her towards Matt, who restrained her within his arms.

As Rainbow Dash struggled within Matt's grasp the other three cheered and laughed. "Look at her squirm! Matt's gonna have some fun tonight! Haha… M-matt? You okay?"

Matt had suddenly released Rainbow Dash, having buckled over in pain as he nursed his side. Behind him was a man with blonde hair showing signs of graying, neatly combed to the side. He had piercing blue eyes, and facial hair that was a combination of a patchy goatee, soul patch, and mustache that failed to grow any hair in the philtrum. He was dressed in blue collared shirt, khaki shorts, and crocs, making him seem harmless, but underneath the clothing were a muscled physique and behind the eyes were a fire that seemed to burn the men he stared loathingly at.

"You shouldn't be behaving like this in a public setting. Actually, you shouldn't be behaving like this _anywhere_," the blonde man informed them, doing his best to keep a calm voice. Matt got up and retreated to the side of his friends who all began to walk up to the man. The girls had gone out of the way but stayed nearby to watch the four larger men attempt to bully the smaller blonde man.

"Yeah? What's it to you old man?" The leader pushed the mystery man away.

"There's only one person in the world that gets to call me old man."

"Psh, whatever, Damon, Jason, knock this guy out." Doing as they were bid, they approached the blonde man, but with two lightning-fast and super-precise punches, accompanied by what sounded like bones breaking, were laid flat on the ground.

"You obviously don't know who I am."

"Like I give a fuck!? Matt, let's get him! Matt?" The leader turned just in time to see Matt running away.

"Oh dear, it appears your friend _does _have a brain."

"Whatever! Like I need a weakling like him to handle an old man like you." The douche made a movement to grab the blonde, but the blonde dodged deftly, and with graceful movements followed up his dodge with a powerful punch to gut, causing the douche to lean forward holding his stomach as if it had just burst.

"I believe I said there's only _one _person in this world I allow to call me 'old man', you'd be an idiot to think it was you." Leaving the three jerks on the ground, he approached the group of women they had been terrorizing. "You girls alright? Not traumatized or anything like that?"

"You're Jessie Lee!" Mindy exclaimed, pointing at the blonde man. He smiled at her and nodded.

"That's right, and if I'm not mistaken, you're the woman I saw in Junior's corner."

The ponies all looked to Mindy for clarification. "This is Jessie Lee, a boxer like our Jessie who he calls 'Junior' for some reason. He's a bit more famous and has two, no wait actually wait, you won that last fight right? He has _three _championship belts." Mindy then directed her attention back to Lee. "So what're you doing here?"

"Weeeell, I was following you girls and…" Lee had to raise his hands up in an assuring manner when the girls backed away from him. "Not in the creepy sense! It's just that I heard this one," he pointed at Pinkie Pie, "shout something about Jessie Santiago, and I was intrigued. You see, the entire reason why I'm here in New York is because I'm looking for him."

"Why're you looking for him?" Twilight asked, doing her best to hide the suspicious tonei n her voice.

Despite her best effort, Lee had picked up on it and counter-asked with, "why are you?"

"Point taken. I suppose you want to tag along with us?"

"Actually, I was planning on leading. It's a pretty big park but I gave it a quick once-over with my eyes. I don't think Junior's the type to go see a zoo."

Mindy crossed her arms and looked at Lee doubtfully. "What do you have in mind?"

* * *

To answer Mindy's question, he led them outside the park and hailed to cabs, fitting four to a car and had the drivers take them to New York City's tallest structure, the Empire State Building. Lee then paid both cabs and escorted the girls inside.

Lee then paid for express tickets for all of them, allowing them to skip the long line, taking them up to the eighty-sixth floor observatory. The ponies then went outside to the outer deck, admiring the New York City skyline as they approached the edge, lined by tall over-the-head railing so no one falls. By this time it was about noon and the sun was at its highest peak, shining directly above the ponies. Mindy gave them a handful of quarters, allowing the girls to use the stationary binoculars.

As the ponies enjoyed the view, Jessie Lee and Mindy hung back and conversed.

"So," Lee began, "who are these girls to Junior?"

"You seem awfully concerned about your Asian counterpart," Mindy noted. "Are you seeing him as a threat for once? Trying to gleam some secrets of his training from those close to him?"

Lee laughed and patted Mindy reassuringly on the back. "Have no fear, I'm just curious is all. Just so you know, I've always though the kid had talent, though he really is hurting his chances at making it…"

Mindy looked at him dubiously. "What are you saying? Is there some self-destructive habit of his that I'm not seeing?"

"It's the weight class he competes in. He's a naturally large person, not necessarily tall, but large, and with just a bit of effort he could easily compete in the cruiser-weight division, maybe even heavy-weight if he works his head off but instead competes in the light-heavyweight. Being able to compete in a lower weight class is usually an advantage for many other boxers, but to Jessie it's detrimental.

In order to do so he is essentially forced to cut back or ease the amount of stress he receives while he trains. Again, he is naturally large, so sweating out the weight isn't enough. This inability to train his hardest makes him weaker than the other guys in the division because they can work themselves as hard as they want without worrying too much about going over the weight."

"But he still wins," Mindy argued. "He's pretty smart after all."

"True, true," Lee agreed, "like the fight against Lloyd Block, he seemed to read all of his moves and beat him down twenty seconds into the sixth round. But at the same time, he was on the verge of being declared the loser by the ring-side doctor."

Twilight had overheard the conversation and decided to join in. "Well, why does Jessie choose to compete at a lower weight class?" Mindy shrugged and Lee remained silent. "Something tells me you know Mr. Lee…"

"Please, call me Jes-, oh wait, I can see how that can be confusing. Mr. Lee it is then I guess. And as for me knowing, yeah I guess I know. But of course, if he hasn't told you, then I assume he doesn't want you girls to know."

Twilight cocked her head to the side as she continued to question the man. "You guys have a history together, don't you?"

"Observant one, aren't you? I'll simply say yes, but like I said before, if hasn't told you, then he doesn't want you to know, and I'll honor his wishes."

The ponies had finished viewing the skyline and approached the three conversing.

"That was a really cool view! The city is just. Plain. _Awesome._"

"This makes me wanna throw a we've-been-to-the-greatest-city-on-earth party!"

"Not including our encounter with those really nasty men, I think I preferred the park much more…"

"I for one enjoyed our visit to the Rockefeller Center the most. The murals painted on the walls, the column designs, and the sculptures were simply divine."

"Hey now girls," Twilight scolded, "Don't forget why we're here. We're looking for Jessie."

"I don't suppose we can go and find a bite to eat for a spell, don't'cha Twi? I'm plum famished." The growling in Applejack's belly was clearly heard and Lee let out a boisterous laugh.

"A cheery fella, aren't you," Mindy observed.

"There's a restaurant on the lobby floor, I'll treat you girls to whatever you want!"

Not dismissing the prospect of free food, the girls eagerly went into the elevator, having not eaten a single bite the entire day.

They were situated at a table in Chipotle's, and Mindy and Lee watched in fascination as the girls handled their tacos and burritos (vegetarian of course) with their hands clumsily.

"This is the first time they ate something with just their hands," Mindy explained as Lee continued to watch in morbid fascination. "High class girls, forks and knives and such…"

"Aw gosh darn it, ta heck wit' it!" Applejack placed the taco on her wrapper which she spread out like a mat and began to eat off of it like an animal.

"Right… high class…" Lee said doubtfully, to which Mindy could only respond with nervous laughter. He then watched as Twilight and Rarity looked at their meals with intense concentration.

"Are they… trying to make their food explode with their minds?"

"Haha, good one…"

Fluttershy had probably found the best method, having divided her burrito into even bits and with careful manipulation of her index finger and thumb, placed them in her mouth. Rainbow Dash was doing her best to mimic Mindy's actions, but had only succeeded in having the contents of her burrito to spill out the other end.

Pinkie Pie had several burritos and tacos in front of her, lathered them all in what Lee was sure was a lethal amount of hot sauce and grabbed fistfuls of food and stuffed them into her mouth. He looked to Mindy for an explanation and all she could do was shake her head.

After the ponies had finished eating, or in Pinkie's case, singled-handedly fighting off the Mexican food apocalypse, they remained at their table, discussing where Jessie could be.

"Y'know, as one of Junior's cornermen, I would think you would know where he would be," Lee addressed Mindy. Mindy only shrugged, indicating she had no idea. "I've been checking out the gyms the last few days, not a single one claimed to have him stop in. I was starting to think he wasn't here at all. Then it just so happens that I find you girls looking for him too. Tell me, who are you girls?"

Mindy had been preparing to answer this question and did her best to sell it. "These girls are very big fans of his, and I promised them that they could meet him."

"Yet they don't seem to know very much about boxing," Lee regarded them suspiciously.

"Yes well…"

As Mindy continually tried to convince Lee, Twilight began to observe the man. While he certainly didn't seem old, he did look like he was just past the wall, probably around the forties. She also began to wonder why he wanted to find Jessie so bad. As she continued to stare at his face, her eyes widened, her mouth gaped, and a gasp left her mouth as it dawned on her.

"You're his father." Twilight interrupted Mindy's rambling and the whole group turned in her direction. "Now it all makes sense, why you call him 'Junior', why you're trying so hard to find him. You're probably in the same weight class as him, aren't you? He wants to fight you."

Mindy leaned in towards Twilight and whispered in her ear. "Are you sure? They don't look too much alike."

"It's the blonde hair that's throwing you off," Twilight told her. "Look at the way the facial hair grows, and the facial structure."

Mindy pulled up a picture of Jessie on her phone and held it beside Lee's face, comparing the two. The ponies, some of them having to get up from their seats, crowded around the phone to do the same. A collective gasp came from them as they too began to see it.

Lee lowered his head, acknowledging the fact he had been discovered. "Guess you girls got me."

"Wait a minute; that would explain why Tiff is blonde! Wait a minute, actually I think Jessie told me his dad was white before…" As Mindy began to think back Twilight continued to address Lee.

"Did something happen between you two? Jessie always says that it's 'a story for another time'."

Lee shrugged and stood up. "He'll tell you when he feels like it I suppose, it's better to hear things from him rather than from me." Lee reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a video game cartridge for the Gameboy Advance. "I think I'm done with New York for now. If you girls happen to see him, give this to him for me, will ya?" He placed it on the table in front of Mindy who read the cover sticker out loud.

"Golden Sun: The Lost Age. Right." She pocketed the game and with hardly a goodbye, Jessie Lee left.

Mindy took the girls to the rest of the Manhattan sights, the Seaport, various museums and exhibits, but Jessie was not found anywhere. By five in the afternoon, they had given up and returned to Mindy's place defeated.

"I'm sorry we couldn't find him girls," Mindy said, hugging Pinkie Pie, who seemed on the verge of tears, apologetically. "But let's really think about it. He must have known what he was getting into, the danger he would be in. He wouldn't just leave, would he?"

Pinkie Pie still clung to Mindy for comfort but was pulled away by Rainbow Dash and Rarity.

"We appreciate everything you've done for us today," Twilight said with a curt bow. "And I should probably thank you now for keeping the human-side crystal safe. I can see why Princess Celestia trusts you with it."

"It's nothing. I've always been a fan of 'My Little Pony' since I was young and when I found out the world was real, well, I was more than eager to help out in any way that I could." Mindy gave them each a goodbye hug before they stripped out of Mindy's clothing. They waved and she waved back as they entered the guest room in which the crystal was kept before she closed the door and locked it.

* * *

Back in the world of Equestria, the girls, now in pony form, gathered outside the library, discussing the day's events.

"Such a shame we could find our dear Jessie, but I guess the trip wasn't a complete waste."

"Who woulda thunk we'd run inta Jess's pops?"

"I so totally wanna go back there one day!"

"I just hope we don't run into some creepy men again…"

"I _love _the food there! What was it called again, Mexican? Let's go back right now and eat some more!"

"Not now Pinkie," Twilight advised, "We still have to wait for Jessie to come back. If he comes back that is…" The thought of Jessie abandoning them put a frown on everypony's face. At this point, a group of three fillies were walking by looking just as sad and dejected. They recognized them as the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, and Applejack approached the young trio.

"Well howdy there girls. Yer lookin' mighty glum."

Apple Bloom nodded, her bottom lip pouted. "We've been lookin' fer Tiff everywhere, and we just can't find her…"

"We've been lookin' too sugar cube, looks like we're just gonna haveta wait."

The fillies exchanged confused glances before looking back up to Applejack. "You were lookin' for Tiff too, sis? I didn't know you were also playing hide and seek."

"Say what now?"

"Uuugggh! I'm done hiding, you girls were taking foreeeever!" The distressed complaint had come from behind the girls as a light green unicorn filly with a long blonde mane crowned by a cat-eared headband came walking up to them.

"Tiff! Where in the hay have you been?" Apple Bloom asked she and the other Crusaders ran up to the Tiff.

"You just said it yourself, I've been in the hay." Tiff pointed at a nearby hay cart. "I fell asleep waiting for you guys to find me and when I woke up I waited for about an hour until I got bored. So I got out."

"Wait a minute, if Tiff is here, then that must mean Jessie never left!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Why would he leave?" Tiff asked.

"He wouldn't!" Pinkie Pie declared, jumping high into the air with glee. Tiff was only further confused but decided to put the manner aside. The four crusaders left in the direction of their club house, leaving the ponies to ponder Jessie's location.

"Where does Jessie go when he's not hanging around Ponyville…" Rainbow Dash mused aloud. The girls began to think and the same thought all ran through their heads as the shouted collectively, "The Everfree forest!"

The six made a mad gallop towards the forest and upon entering followed the trail of "Square root anz" footprints. Upon reaching Jessie's favorite clearing, the skidded to a halt, watching as Jessie, who was on a knee, bearing an incredibly large boulder upon his shoulders, behind his head, with magic providing him the strength needed for such a task.

The sight brought the image of the statue of Atlas to Twilight's mind. Jessie, just like Atlas, was forced to bear the weight of the world upon his shoulders, albeit in a more metaphorical sense. With a mighty yell, he stood up and tossed the boulder forward, landing onto the ground with a satisfying crash.

"Jessieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee !" Pinkie Pie came running up to the surprised human, holding him in tight embrace.

"Owowowowowow, Pinkie, my wounds, they might be opening up again, nonononono group hug! Aiiieeeeeeee!"

Jessie squirmed as he was suddenly embraced by the rest of the ponies, despite his pleas and cries of pain.

* * *

**Authors Note: Oh suck it up Jessie you lucky bastard you. Anyways, just giving the heads up to my readers that I might be starting another story, and therefore some of the updates for this one will be really really slow. But it could just be a passing feeling, we'll see.**


	13. The Story for Another Time

**Authors Note: Apologies to all my readers! This chapter came out REALLY freaking late and I am so incredibly dearly monumentally sorry for that D: I've been incredibly unmotivated lately and had this chapter in the works for effectively two weeks :/ It's not even a good chapter if I say so myself so I'm sorry for having to make you all wait for a chapter that isn't even any good**

**I've also just uploaded the first chapter to my other story (Yes I am shamelessly advertising my other story on this one) and right now I need to know what you guys think about it, whether or not I should continue working on it, or I should finish up with this one first. Please give it a read then vote in the poll on my profile page.  
**

* * *

Jessie and Mayor Mare sat together at table inside the town hall, small glasses of water placed in front of them as they discussed "political" matters. Flanking Jessie's sides were two women dressed in hooded robes, their hoods pulled up creating a shadow that masked their faces.

"So the ambassadors we sent across the sea to the human lands-"

"Are corresponding with your princess, yes," Jessie completed. "Unfortunately they are restricted from divulging certain kinds of information as of the moment since we are at a… _precarious _time in our society and would not wish any information of a sensitive nature to be released."

The Mayor nodded understandingly. "Oh yes, that's fine. So how about you ambassador? Have you recovered from yours wounds? Are your current lodgings ample? Are there any grievances or-"

"Woah, woah , calm down mayor, everything's alright," Jessie said, raising his hands in a gesture for calmness. "You don't have to worry about anything."

"Oh but I must," Mayor Mare insisted. "I always see you working on something around the town with Twilight Sparkle or one of her friends, I understand you must have had a connection with those six after you chased after them during the Nightmare Moon fiasco, but you mustn't labor so hard. I'm sure I can make arrangements to have you stay in Canterlot."

Jessie shook his head and grimaced at the idea. "And deal with a bunch of stuck up fancy ponies? Nah, Ponyville's the place for me."

"So you aren't even planning on visiting Canterlot once? If there's any place to be building human-pony relationships, it's there with the nobility, is it not? Not to mention it's far safer there than here. You seem to spend an awful amount of time in that dreadful forest," Mayor Mare reasoned.

Jessie couldn't fault Mayor Mare from worrying, being a supposed ambassador for a race that pony-kind had forgotten over the past three millennia (but in the mayor's mind, a newly discovered species in a newly discovered land), to which any remnants such as artifacts or ruins were left on a land pony-kind abandoned thereby leaving Equestria with no records whatsoever, made him a very important responsibility for the mayor, and his frequent visits to the forest surely didn't help ease her anxiety.

To placate the mayor, Jessie cupped the mayor's hoof in one hand, while placing another hand on top, in an intimate oath-like manner. He then attempted to give his best charming smile, though his attempt only elicited the laughter from his two female companions standing by his side. After glaring at them, he turned his attention back to the mayor.

"I'm really sorry about my behavior, and I understand how anxious it must make you feel having to worry about my every move. I'm sure I don't make it easier for you by frolicking around the Everfree forest so much. So I promise I'll behave, so long as you don't send me to Canterlot." To help support his case, Jessie then made the most pathetic face he could pull off, promoting more laughter from the women beside him.

"Um, yes okay, well, there's no need for that now that I have your promise, would you kindly let go of my hoof now please?" the mayor asked, sounding quite flustered. Jessie relinquished his grasp and stood up from his seat.

"I'm going to see the messengers out, I'm sure they're eager to go back home and talk about the wonderful time they had here." Jessie led the two women outside the town hall and through Ponyville until they stood in the outskirts. Jessie took a quick glance around before giving the women the "okay".

"All clear girls."

"Ugh, this dreadful hood nearly ruined my mane." One of the women put down her hood, revealing herself to be Rarity. "Twilight, can't you give us a different hairstyle when you change us?"

The other woman pulled down her hood, showing herself to be Twilight, who pouted at Rarity. "Changing us is hard enough without having to worry about our hair." Twilight quickly looked around their surroundings, making sure they were alone. "Guess I could transform us back here. Rarity come closer, and Jessie, if you could supply me some magic energy so I can perform it more quickly that would be appreciated."

"You girls aren't going to undress first?"

"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" Rarity teased, wagging a finger at Jessie.

"I have no idea what-"

"Give it a rest Jessie, it is most unbecoming. Mindy explained to us the nature of that naughty magazine you've been keeping under your bed."

"Great, thanks a lot Mindy," Jessie said looking upwards at the sky, as if she were a god meddling with his life. "Well, whatever, how do I supply you with magic?"

Twilight and Rarity exchanged glances. "You mean, you don't know how?" Rarity asked.

"It's really a simple spell; you haven't come across it in your studies?" Twilight asked.

"I… don't study. Not really. I just go to the forest and practice… stuff."

"Like?"

Jessie scratched his cheek as he began to think about all his magical solo sessions in the forest. "Mostly levitation, and throwing stuff, and blowing up stuff I guess."

Rarity and Twilight exchanged glances once more, this time more worried.

"What?" Jessie asked, growing concerned by their apprehensiveness.

"Well," Twilight began, "that's not really the best way to practice magic. It's not like it was all for nothing, such repetitive drills are good for increasing your magical stamina, but it does nothing to expand your repertoire of spells."

"This is the second time you mentioned spells, and I'm starting to think I have the wrong definition."

"Perhaps we could discuss this later?" Rarity chimed in, "There are several outfits I have to work on for a client." Twilight nodded and turned to Jessie.

"Okay. Jessie, since you can't speed up the process, you're going to have to keep a look out while I change me and Rarity back; it's going to take a few minutes."

"Got it."

* * *

After transforming herself and Rarity back to pony form, Twilight had Jessie in the library, listing aloud every type of spell he ever casted.

"Hmm, let's see. For the ones I can do I purpose, I can lift stuff, push stuff, and make things fly."

"Okay, so that's telekinetics and levitation," Twilight identified, scribbling some notes down with a quill onto a piece of parchment. "Go on."

"I can make fireballs, manipulate fire, and throw lightning bolts."

"Hmm, I'll just write that down as 'general control over destructive energies'."

Jessie began to run his fingers through his hair as he began to wrack his brain. "That's about it. Oh wait, I did managed to teleport my sister and the Cutie Mark Crusaders away before."

"The hydra episode, correct? You teleported them away but not yourself."

Jessie shrugged. "Seemed too complicated, and after I did, I felt pretty tired."

Twilight scribbled more notes on the parchment. "Limited teleportation abilities. Now how about spells you haven't casted on purpose?"

"Um, the very first was when I blasted open the doors in panic. Next was when I made that fire in the Everfree forest during the Nightmare Moon incident. Then I sang that one song that put Tiff to sleep during the recreation of my arm. Then during the dragon incident I made myself go super-fast and jump super high."

Twilight stroked her chin with the quill contemplatively. "So that's hypnotics and supplementation of physical abilities. Anything else?"

"Hmm," Jessie tapped his temple with a finger, sure that there was one more incident. "Oh wait! During the hydra incident I threw my hat and it decapitated the hydra."

Twilight looked at him disbelievingly. "You decapitated a hydra with a hat?"

"Yeah, why do you think the hydra's running around with eight heads?"

"That hydra now has eight heads?!" Jessie could only laugh sheepishly in response as she looked at him in aghast. She shook her head to recover from her shock and made another note on the parchment. "Well, looking at this list you have a really shallow range of spells. While most unicorns do have smaller pools, considering the nature of your mission and the foe we must face, you need to start studying more intensively."

Jessie pouted at Twilight, not liking the idea of having to read through the many thick books of magical theory shelved around the library. Twilight walked up to a nearby shelf and pulled out several books with her magic, placing them into a neatly stacked pile on a table to Jessie's side.

"You can start with these. I'd highly recommend you read through 'Easy as Breathing: Breath Techniques for Casting Spells' before moving on to 'Basic Utilitarian Spells for Everyday Occasions'."

Jessie regarded the books disdainfully, opening the cover to the book on the very top and grimacing after seeing the table of contents. "Aw geez, do I really have to?"

"Why are you so averse to reading? Weren't you the studious type when you were younger?"

"Ahaha nooooo," Jessie denied with amusement, "My mom _made_ me study. _A lot_. Any good grades I got or scholarly awards I received were from no motivation of my own. Not only that, she made me practice piano, she made me take diving classes, she nearly enrolled me in ballet one time too. It was only after Tiff was born and when dad… dad…" Jessie trailed off, and Twilight, sensing his discomfort, opted not to force the subject.

Trying to ease the awkwardness that had just arisen, Jessie went through the pile and picked up the breathing techniques book. "I… um… I'll guess I'll just start with this." Jessie settled into a chair, the book placed open on the table, and began to read through it. Twilight chose to leave well enough alone and left the room.

Jessie spent the entire evening reviewing the books, slowly going through each chapter. As he went through them, his mind began to drift away. His eyes scanned the text upon the pages, his lips moved as he silently mouthed words, but his brain made no interpretation of the information being read. Jessie went through an entire chapter like this before he realized he had no recollection of what he just read.

"Ah crap, hate it when that happens." Jessie flipped back through the book, sighing in dismay after finding out he had to reread the last twenty pages. Using the built in ribbon, he marked the page, closed the book, took off his glasses, and rubbed his eyes, which were now a little sore and droopy. He looked out the window and saw that night had fallen. Remembering the promise he made within his first two days in Equestria, he placed the book onto the table and went out the library.

Once he was outside he let out a loud yawn before falling unto his back in a spread-eagled position, looking up at the starry night with half-closed eyes.

"Mmm… pretty as always," he muttered drowsily.

"I'm glad you think so."

"Dang I'm tired. For a second I thought I heard Princess Luna." Suddenly looming into his view was Princess Luna's face. Still quite groggy, Jessie extended a hand towards Luna's face and began to stroke her cheek. This action caused Luna to blush which produced child-like laughter from Jessie. "Hehe… now I'm seeing the princess blush, I must really be out of it…" Jessie's hand then fell to the ground, his head turned to the side, and his eyes closed shut, shortly accompanied by loud snoring.

Luna blinked at him, and began to prod him with a hoof. "Jessie? Would you kindly wake up?" she whispered, not wanting to wake any other pony up.

"Luna, is that you?" Princess Luna turned and saw that it was Twilight approaching her, her horn glowing as she levitated a bundle of books alongside her.

"Twilight Sparkle, what are you doing out so late, it's an hour past midnight."

"I was at Canterlot getting some books the library here lacked so that Jessie may study them," Twilight answered. "Then I managed to catch the midnight train back home. Speaking of Jessie, what is he doing out here?"

Princess Luna looked down at Jessie and gave him a soft smile. "Adhering to the promise he had made, no doubt."

"Pardon me for asking," Twilight apologized, "but what are you doing here so late at night, princess?"

"I was hoping I could have a word with our champion here," Luna explained, pointing a hoof down at Jessie. "Back at the castle, I sensed that he wasn't dreaming so I assumed he was still awake, so I came here-"

"You can sense when a pony's dreaming?" Twilight asked, elated by the information.

"Er, um, that's, well-"

"Does that mean you can go into other ponies dreams?" she followed up, now enthusiastically pressing her face against Luna's.

"How in Equestria were you able to come to that conclusion?"

"So it is true! Ohmygosh, you have to show me that spell, with it I'll be finally able to conduct accurate sleep studies! Think of all the progress I can make in the field of-" her mouth was suddenly muffled with a hoof from Luna, who then raised another hoof in front of her own lips, gesturing for silence.

"You'll wake up the whole town with your enthusiasm, Twilight Sparkle. Let us go inside and discuss things there."

After they were inside, they placed Jessie unto his bed. Tiff was sleeping soundly in hers, the blanket pulled over her shoulder.

"So can you show me the spell now?" Twilight asked, giving Princess Luna an eager smile.

Princess sighed, and gave Twilight a conceding nod. "So be it, I will show you _once_. It is not a power that should be abused or used whenever you feel like."

"So whose dreams are we going to delve into?" Twilight asked, barely able to contain her excitement.

"I normally prefer to use my powers to ease the nightmares of the young ponies in the land," Luna explained, her eyes shut as she began to channel her magic. "But I had finished tending to that a short while ago. The little one in here had a particularly intriguing nightmare in which she was in her human form, running from some monster. I conjured up an image of her brother and let her imagination take it from there."

"And what happened?"

"… Her brother disrobed and the monster fainted at the sight of his… unmentionables." Twilight stifled a chuckle and Luna opened her eyes, her horn still glowing. "The spell is complete Twilight Sparkle, whose dreams would you like to examine?"

Twilight pointed a hoof at Jessie right away, prompting Princess Luna to look at her suspiciously. "You must understand Twilight Sparkle, while traversing through another's thoughts, it is best not to wonder around aimlessly, lest you uncover their secrets. As I said before, such powers must not be abused."

"Don't worry princess," Twilight assured Luna, "I'm just curious to see what he dreams of."

Luna glanced at Jessie and frowned worryingly.

Twilight raised an eyebrow at Luna's expression. "Is there something wrong Luna?"

"I've never been within an adult's dreams. So many things goes on within one's mind as one sleeps, and going into the head of an adult, whose mind possesses more memories than that of a child, would prove a very daunting task," Luna explained.

"Well, now's a good time as ever to try." Twilight was now bounding with excitement, ready to begin traversing Jessie's thoughts. Luna took in a deep breath and sighed.

"So be it then, Twilight come closer, it'll be, as they say, a bumpy ride." Once Twilight was in range, a glow surrounded the pair, and they slowly lowered themselves to the ground, their eyes drooping, before they nestled against each other as they lay on the ground.

* * *

When her eyes opened, Twilight found that she as alone, but still within the confines of the library, in the room she had just fallen asleep in. Perplexed she looked around; finding that neither Tiff nor Jessie was in bed. However, as she stepped out towards the window and looked out, she couldn't see the rest of Ponyville or the ground, everything obscured by a deep fog.

"What in Equestria?"

"We are in the realm of recent memories, Twilight Sparkle," Princess Luna said, suddenly appearing behind Twilight. "As the name would imply, this is where one would find the newest of memories, ready to be churned into the swirling mixture that is one's own mind." Princess Luna opened the door leading out of the room, and beckoned Twilight towards the doorway. Twilight went towards the doorway and looked out, in the direction Luna was pointing, seeing Jessie, back at his seat, reading a book which he held in his hands.

The memory seemed to have been greatly exaggerated, as the pile of books that was on the table towered over Jessie, nearly reaching the ceiling. The book in Jessie's hand was also titled, "Incredibly Boring Magical Studies," written by, "Mr. Magic Pants." Jessie's expression as he read made him appear half dead, or zombified, a small amount of drool dripping from the corner of his mouth.

"Not exactly a very accurate recollection," Twilight pointed out, her voice indicating slight offense to Jessie's recollection. Twilight's horn began to glow, but was stopped by Princess Luna who lightly pushed Twilight's head down.

"You must not alter the memory, no matter how little the detail. Do not make me regret showing you this spell."

"Sorry Princess…" Twilight looked down and kicked at the ground shamefully.

"Its fine, its fine I suppose. Now then, let us see what our champion is currently dreaming of." Luna exited the room they were in and walked past the drooling Jessie, who although looking extremely bored, was too fixated on the book to notice her. Twilight followed after and threw open the library entrance, staring out into the mist.

"Such a thick fog…" Twilight remarked.

"This mist represents all the things going on within one's mind, which, as I said before, is quite a lot. Memories, ideas, fantasies, and at the very center of it all, the dream one would experience. I've also said before that I have never traversed within the mind of an adult, so I have never seen a fog so thick…" Princess Luna peered into the fog, attempting to find some form of direction.

"So do we just, walk through there? Through the fog?"

"Essentially, yes, however as we travel, we may find ourselves caught within a thought. It is best for us to observe the thought without interacting with it in anyway. If we do, the thought and basically we with it may become part of the dream, and once we become part of the dream, my powers could be discovered. I've only revealed this power to a few ponies, mostly young ponies who I'm sure can keep my secret, and I'm most certain that our champion would not appreciate having his mind explored. Do you understand Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight nodded and took a step into the fog. As she did, it seemed to part away from her, and she took a hesitant step back. She was urged on by Luna who was at her flank, and after swallowing hard, walked deeper into the fog. After a few steps, the library had already disappeared behind her, and all she could see was Princess Luna. Looking up ahead, all she could see was the greyness of the fog, and she constantly gazed down and looked at her hooves, making sure she hadn't lost her eyesight.

"How deep to we have to – wooaaah!" Before she could finished her question, she and Luna were pulled into a swirling maelstrom of various colors, slowly forming into a coherent mess until finally, the maelstrom stopped, showing that the fog around them had transformed into a tropical beach-side landscape.

Luna and Twilight found that they stood on a beach, the waves cresting against the sand, causing the white sea foam to kiss their feet. The sun was high overhead and shone brightly, causing a sparkling in the sand. A gentle sea breeze teased the hair in their manes and their tales whilst ruffling the leaves of nearby coconut trees. Running along the length of the non-ocean side of the beach were several large hotels.

"Such a vivid memory," Princess Luna remarked, "Jessie must be very familiar with this place."

Twilight scooped a hoof-full of sand and allowed the golden grains to trickle down the sides. She then stepped into the water and splashed lightly around with it, prompting Luna to turn around and look at her in amusement.

"Enjoying yourself?" Luna teased with a smile. Twilight smiled back and began to prance around.

"I can feel the sand on my hooves, the coolness of the water, and the warmth of the sun against my coat. I can smell the sea breeze; hear the sound of waves breaking against the shore, and taste the salt in the air. How can this be a thought, a memory in Jessie's head, yet have it stimulate so many of my senses?"

Luna shut her eyes and began to embrace her other senses. "Mmm, your words are true. This must be a very familiar place to Jessie."

"Maybe his home?" Twilight theorized, approaching Princess Luna. "But what's happening right now? Why is there no people?"

"Remember, this is a memory as Jessie remembers it. There may have been people around at the time, but they are not important as of the moment," Luna explained.

Twilight looked around, slightly perplexed. "But where's the memory? Nothing's happening." To answer her question, the sound of a stringed instrument being strummed caught their ears. They walked up the beach, unto a small patchy-grassed knoll where two teenagers stood. One of them they identified as Jessie, whose facial hair was a bit thinner as was his body which was much less muscled, and stood an inch shorter, not quite finished with adolescence yet.

The other teen next to him had on a coconut leaf woven hat, and rather dark skin. His nose was a little bulbous, and had a rather prominent dimple on his chin. He held the stringed instrument they had heard earlier, a ukulele.

Jessie was dressed rather homey, despite being in a public place, plain white t-shirt, baggy shorts, and slippers on his feet. His friend was dressed in the same manner, except he had a lei around his neck. A bundle of lei's were also placed on the ground between them.

Princess Luna and Twilight, Twilight using her magic, strategically placed themselves in the air as they observed the memory below.

"Chaz, why do you have all these flower necklaces?" Jessie asked the other teen. The teen called Chaz placed the ukulele down, picked up one of the lei's and tossed it around Jessie's neck, draping his shoulders.

"Dude, they're called lei's and-"

"-and we're on Guam," Jessie argued, "this ain't Hawaii man, we don't do this."

"Relax, the tourists can't tell the difference, the only reason they come here because it's cheaper than Hawaii. Besides, you're flip man, why do you care?"

"You're right why should I?" Jessie said sarcastically, rolling his eyes, "_you're_ the Chamorro here, you should be the one that cares."

"And the Chamorro says its okay!" Chaz gave Jessie a rather cheesy thumbs up, causing Jessie to roll his eyes once more. "It's okay brah, just follow the plan, I play you sing and dance around the tourists that come and put the lei's around their necks."

"Shouldn't a girl be distributing the lei's? Pretty weird for a dude to do it," Jessie pointed out.

"Doesn't matter. C'mon, let's start already." Chaz began to play a pacific-style reggae melody with the ukulele and suddenly fading into existence was a crowd of people, many in floral printed clothing, others in swimming trunks or swimsuits, many of them with children in hand, that gathered around the two teenagers.

_"'Cause I don't never ever wanna see you lonely_

_ 'Cause your love is something that you just don't push aside_

_ And I promise that I'll give you all my loving_

_ Girl I'll open up my heart because there's nothing to hi-ide…" _

As Chaz played, Jessie sung while carrying the lei's. He would dance around the crowd, placing Lei's on everyone, and once he was sure he got everyone, took off Chaz's hat, revealing his short brown spiky hair, and placed it topside down. The tourists who had money on hand began tossing whatever they had in there. Other's ran off to get theirs or sent family members to get it. Chaz joined Jessie briefly in the chorus.

_"Oooh,ooh…_

_ Oooh, nothing to hi-ide…_

_ Oooh, ooh… _

_ Oooh, nothing to hide."_

Jessie was now singing by himself once more.

_"Girl, open up your heart_

_ And let your love shine through_

_ 'Cause what's inside you can't deny_

_ Them other guys was fooling you_

_ I realized it from the start_

_ All the games played on your heart_

_ 'Cause I've been watching you for so long_

_ The love I witnessed wasn't wrong…"_

"Not a bad performance," Luna commented as they watched the two adolescents perform. "I do wish that I could retrieve a lei as well."

"Such a relaxed environment in comparison to the city I've been in earlier…"

"Pardon?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Twilight said defensively, giving Luna a guilty smile. Luna raised an eyebrow suspiciously at her before looking back at Jessie and Chaz.

_"Girl, let's just fall in love_

_ And start a family_

_ 'Cause I know the man above_

_ Made you especially for me_

_ I promise I'll give my all_

_ To support your every need_

_ I will sacrifice my life_

_ To fulfill your every dream_

_ I would never ever wanna see you lonely_

_ 'Cause your love is something that you just don't push aside…"_

The pair entertained the tourists for another minute before their song ended and were rewarded with hearty applause as they finished. After the crowd had dispersed, another man in a collared white shirt and tie, tucked into a pair of beige slacks, walked up to the duo grinning and his arms out wide.

"Well done you two! Maybe I should just drop my current performers and have you two entertain the guests at the hotel instead." The man approached the pair and placed a hand at their shoulders in thanks. "That said, maybe you two would like to add to your current commission? There's a special lunch going on right now that is supposed to provide some education and entertainment, kind of both at the same time, for many of the new incoming military families, and our original performers haven't showed up."

"Oh yeah, that's nice," Chaz moaned sarcastically, "just what this island needs, more white guys running around looking for the 'massage parlors'."

"Dude, I'm half-white," Jessie mentioned, "and he said_ families_." Jessie then turned to the man and smiled apologetically. "Ignore him. We'll do it."

Chaz bent down and picked up his hat, stuffing the money they had received into his pockets, before placing his hat back on to his head. Jessie and Chaz then followed the man who had begun walking towards one of the nearest hotel.

"There must be more to the memory," Twilight pointed out, descending back onto the ground, with Princess Luna landing next to her. "Do we follow them?"

"We really shouldn't pry any more than we should have…" Luna said hesitantly. "But it could be a while before the memory finishes and we can continue our journey to his dream. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt…"

Twilight didn't need to hear more as she trotted eagerly after the three, with Luna laughing lightly to herself at the sight of the giddy Twilight.

The pony pair snuck into the hotel, and stealthily evaded the sight of any human. As they hid behind a potted plant that didn't seem to cover them very well, Twilight whispered into Luna's ear. "Why exactly are we hiding again, princess?"

"If we are spotted by any human that Jessie's mind remembered, or has conjured, they will react in a fashion that Jessie's mind has attributed to that human. That human's reaction however is not a natural part of the memory and Jessie's mind will think that the memory is a part of the dream. The current dream will then mesh with the now modified memory. We will then be thrown into his dream," Luna explained in a hushed whisper.

"Isn't that what we're trying to do?"

"When the dreamer comes in direct contact with me during a dream, they enter a heightened lucid dreaming state in which they are conscious of the fact that I am in their dream. By allowing ourselves to be blindly thrown into Jessie's dream, we put ourselves at risk of discovery."

"And that's bad because?"

"I doubt Jessie will appreciate having us running around in his mind, would he?"

"Good point," Twilight conceded, as she peeked out from behind the potted plant. "Wait a minute. Can't we just use magic to make ourselves invisible?"

Princess Luna blinked stoically at Twilight. "Perhaps but, this is much more fun." Twilight had no response to Luna's answer and merely gapped at her. Princess Luna pointed a hoof in the opposite direction, indicating that the three they were following were moving up. They followed them further until they reached a banquet room, in which case Luna gave up her "fun" and cloaked the both of them in an invisibility spell.

The banquet room was filled with many circular tables, all of which seated the incoming military families. Most of them were of Caucasian descent, though there were a scattering of various other ethnicities as well. Most of the identifiable servicemen were men, though there was likely some servicewomen in the room as well, distinguishable by their neatly kept hair, shaved faces or well-maintained mustaches, and their muscled builds. The event held in the hotel was obviously a family event, indicated by the large number of military dependents. In the middle of the room was a rectangular space, a mounted microphone in the center that the tables surrounded, on which Chaz and Jessie stood.

Twilight and Luna positioned themselves in the far corner of the room where they were less likely to be encountered.

"Good afternoon servicemen and women of the military, as well as your families," Jessie spoke into the microphone. "If you're here, chances are you're either a part of the Navy, Air Force, or National Guard, if you're a Marine I will kindly remind you that the military build-up is not yet complete, the marine barracks are not yet finished, so I highly recommend you go back to Okinawa." Light laughter arose from the adults in the room.

"And if you're Army, well, you're definitely lost."** (Authors Note: There's no Army Base on Guam)** More soft laughter came from the adults. "That said, aside from the food, you're obviously here to learn more about Guam. This is supposed to be some sort of orientation for those that are new here and to be honest me and my friend Chaz here," Jessie gestured to Chaz, "were asked to give you all some form of educational entertainment no more than five minutes ago, so we had about five minutes to come up with something. Now then, you there," Jessie pointed at a freckled blonde boy, "where you from kid?"

"I'm from Texas!" the boy responded enthusiastically.

"And how do you greet others in Texas?"

"We say 'howdy!'"

"Isn't that nice? Well howdy back at ya," Jessie replied in his best country accent. "Now here on Guam, we got our own way of greeting others. Well, I say 'we' but in honesty I don't use the local language, y'see I'm half American Caucasian and half Filipino and fun fact, there is _a ton _of Asian migrants here from the Philippines, Korea, and China, and when I'm not saying 'hello', I'm saying 'mabuhay'. And when I'm not saying 'mabuhay' I'm probably saying 'konichiwa' because as you can see down here in Tumon, we have _a lot _of Japanese tourists. But I digress, Chaz, who is a Chamorro, the natives of Guam if you don't know that already, why don't you explain the traditional greeting here on Guam?" Jessie stepped aside and Chaz stepped in front of the microphone.

"Hey, all, uh, you probably already heard it or seen it written down somewhere already but didn't know what it meant, it's 'Hafa Adai'. Almost like 'half a day' but instead of 'half' it's pronounced 'hoff' like in 'David Hassel_hoff'._ It literally translates to 'what's up'."

"Yeah, and people," Jessie stepped back in front of the mic, "don't say 'aloha' here. Seriously. We have nothing against Hawaii or Hawaiians but for some reason people come here to Guam, thinking it's a Hawaiian island, and greeting everyone they see with 'aloha'. Don't be that person. Now, without further ado, it's time for a song everyone here on Guam knows!"

The families cheered as Chaz began strumming a lively tune on the ukulele.

_"In the Isle of Mariana, eeyy_

_ You hear a lot of locals say_

_ As you come along and visit us_

_ Oh well hello, or Hafa Adai_

_ With a happy smile on their face_

_ And a friendly smile that stays in place_

_ Really meaning what they say_

_ It's time you simply say_

_ Hafa, hafa, hafa, hafa adai!"_

As Chaz and Jessie provided music, the hotel staff began to coax the guests towards the rectangular space, treating it as a dance floor, on which they instructed them the dance steps for the Cha-Cha.

_"Hafa adai, todo maolek, how are you?_

_ Hafa adai, todo maolek, thank you!_

_ Hafa adai, hafa adai_

_ Hafa, hafa, hafa, hafa adai!"_

Before Twilight and Luna could hear the rest of the song, the fog began to fill the memory, obscuring their vision and deadening the sights and sounds they heard. Once more, they were caught in a swirling a mist and Twilight could make out images within the vortex. "Princess Luna is the memory finished?" she asked, trying to make sense of the images she could see.

"Not exactly no, rather, it looks like it is _skipping _ahead."

"Why would it do that?"

"It must be what Jessie does whenever he recalls this memory. It appears he compares what we just witnessed to something else that occurs later on in the memory, over and over and over again."

"But why would he do that?"

Luna bit her bottom lip and looked at Twilight apprehensively. "Something tells me we are about to witness a very _personal _memory."

The images displayed within the swirling fog began to settle and form into a comprehensible setting. It was night time, and the stars shone brilliantly in the sky. Twilight and Princess Luna stood beside a paved black rode and Princess Luna stamped her hoof curiously on the road.

"What manner of material is this? I've never seen it."

"Princess, look." Twilight pointed her hoof at a building across the road, lit by a neon light that read "Ben's Bar and karaoke". Stumbling out of the bar was Jessie, his arm over the shoulder of a redheaded female teenager who he had picked up during the orientation.

"Oh my god, I can't believe the drinking age here is eighteen! Not that my parent's will be happy about that but at least I know I won't need a fake ID," the redhead remarked. **(Authors Note: The drinking age on Guam **_**was **_**18 until 2010.)**

"Gotta love that about Guam, we know how to party. When I turned eighteen last week, I drank until I started thinking car-jousting was a good idea. Long story short, I took that gig this morning to start paying for the broken side-mirror on Chaz's car."

"Speaking of excessive drinking, you sure drank a lot tonight too; I should probably call you a cab." The teen pulled out her phone, though Jessie held it down.

"Nononononono… no… Can't leave my car all alone on Guam. Don't let our predominantly Catholic demographic fool you, crime rates on this island are reaaaaaallly high. I'll drive _really slow, _so slow that I'll probably be pulled over for driving so… so…" Jessie made a retching motion and turned away from his date, spilling the contents of his stomach on to the sidewalk.

"Oh my god. I'm definitely calling you a cab, you're in no condition to-"

"Heyheyhehyheyhey… hey. That actually made me feel better, sorry you had to see that. You can still call the cab if you like, but I'll be gone by now. You… you uh… have a nice night. See ya." Jessie walked away from his date, bumbling through the darkness.

"Twilight Sparkle, I believe it is best if we allow the memory to play out further without observing what takes place next. I have a very strong feeling what is to come is a very personal experience that he would wish not to share with us," Luna whispered into Twilight's ear.

"I… I think we should see what happens next. I've noticed Jessie has been a little dodgy when we encroach upon certain subjects and I can sense it troubles him deeply. He chooses not to tell us but…"

"Do you believe it affects his performance?" Princess Luna asked, not liking what Twilight was suggesting.

"Yes? No? I don't know, but I know something's wrong, and as his friend I would really like to know what exactly he's keeping from us so that I could help him."

Princess Luna frowned at Twilight's reasoning, not because it was faulty, but because he violated Luna's personal code in regards to using her powers, never to use it to pry into another's secrets. She looked at the ground, seeing the fog that represents Jessie's mind seep in between their hooves, indicating the memory was walking away from them. She then bit her bottom lip and nodded at Twilight.

"Okay then, just this once, we'll see what Jessie is hiding. We better get moving before we're lost in the fog."

Luna and Twilight then trotted to the direction Jessie was headed. They stopped as he approached a pick-up truck and watched as he fumbled with the keys to the door.

"What manner of carriage is that?" Luna asked aloud, peering at the vehicle.

"It's called a 'car'. It works off burning fuel to power an engine," Twilight explained.

Luna looked at Twilight suspiciously. "Your knowledge of the human world astounds me. I'm starting to think you had visited the human world, considering how easy it would be with the transportation crystal in your library."

"Hehe… Okay, maybe _one _visit."

"Aha!" Jessie declared victoriously. "Finally got that damn thing in there…." He belched and laughed to himself. "Hah… that's what she said." Jessie then threw open the door to the driver's side and tossed himself into the seat. Jessie then drove off, prompting Luna to lower herself down to the ground.

"Get on," she told Twilight. Twilight hopped on to Luna's back and Luna ascended into the air, hovering high above the red Toyota Tacoma, model year 1995.

Jessie, trying to keep his promise he made with his date earlier, drove at forty miles an hour, not an incredibly fast pace, but still dangerous considering his condition. He had to squint and lean forward as he could hardly see the road, illuminated only by the street lamps every few hundred feet.

"Dammit, why is it so dark? Isn't there supposed to be like a light or something moving in front of me or… Ah crap, I'm an idiot, headlights, duh." Jessie flicked on the headlights, just in time to see himself about to fly off a curve in the road. "Oh shit!"

Jessie, whose greater cognitive functions had been nullified by alcohol, attempted to pull off a sharp turn rather than slamming on the brakes, a viable choice considering he had only been going forty miles an hour. This resulted in him swerving head on to another oncoming vehicle. "OH FU-"

"OH DEAR CELESTIA!" Twilight blurted out loud, witnessing the violent crash. "Princess Luna we have to get down there and-"

"Twilight, maintain your wits, remember it's a memory," Luna calmed Twilight.

It took a moment for Jessie to come to, finding his face buried into an airbag. Incredibly, he was unhurt. As he began to take stock of the situation, his mind began to race and his heart began to pound as he realized what just happened.

"Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit, this is bad bad bad…" Jessie unbuckled his seatbelt and pushed the airbag away, clambering out of the car. He found that the front end of his pickup was buried into the driver's side of the other vehicle, the driver most likely trying to turn away but was caught in the full brunt of the crash.

"Fuck fuck fuck… Wait a second this car…" Jessie's eyes widened in despair as his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he began to see the vehicle. His mouth hung open in a silent scream and he convulsed lightly. "No… fuck… no…. Mom!"

The sound of a young girl crying caught his attention and his heart dropped. "T-tiff? FUCK!" Jessie ran to the undamaged side of the car and threw open the back passenger seat. There, seated in her child seat, was Tiff, her head bleeding from a shard of glass that struck her. Jessie reached inside, unbuckled Tiff and pulled her out.

"K-kuya?" she mumbled nearly incoherently between sobs.

"Shh, shh, that's alright, I'm here…" Jessie rushed over to his pickup and placed her in the passenger seat. "Just stay seated, I'm going to check up on mom, okay?"

Jessie then ran back to the undamaged side of his mother's car, opened the front passenger's seat and looked in horror at the mangled body of his mother. Shards of glass peppered the left side of her face, which was covered in blood. Her left forearm was snapped in half, though her hand still gripped the steering wheel. Her left leg was crushed under a crumpled mass of metal that resulted from Jessie's truck slamming into the car door.

Bile rose to Jessie's throat and for the second time that night, Jessie threw up, this time pouring the contents of his stomach on to the passenger's seat of his mother's car.

Twilight and Princess Luna couldn't see how Jessie's mother looked, though they can tell from Jessie's reaction that it was not a sight they would have wanted to see anyways. The fog then began to seep into the memory, and obscure everything within sight, until finally, the memory ended.

With no definitive "ground" in place, the memory now having finished, Princess Luna saw fit to stop flying, and lowered herself down two feet before touching a flat surface. Twilight then got off, and the pair looked at each other with melancholy expressions.

"That was horrible. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to continue watching the memory…" Twilight said, looking down and frowning.

"Perhaps… well… do you still wish to see Jessie's dream?" Princess Luna asked, seemingly insisting to end the spell.

Twilight shook her head. "Not anymore, I've seen enough of Jessie's secrets…"

* * *

After awaking, Twilight and Luna stepped out of Jessie's and Tiff's room, an awkward silence between the two.

After a moment, Luna kicked at the floor shyly before speaking. "I'll, I'll just come back later, in a few hours, after the sun has arisen to speak with Jessie." Twilight simply nodded and saw Luna out. After closing the library doors shut, she walked back into the room shared by the siblings. She approached Tiff's bed and stared at the young human girl-turned-filly.

"I wonder if it'll still show up even in her pony form…" Twilight then neared Tiff's head and swept her hoof through the filly's mane. She uncovered what she was looking for, a stitched-up jagged scar on the crown of Tiff's head.

"Mom…" Tiff quietly cried, causing Twilight to cringe.

"Huh, I thought Princess Luna said she already helped you with your nightmares," Twilight whispered softly. She began to stroke Tiff's mane, which seemed to comfort the filly. After seeing what had happened in the past in Jessie's head, Twilight felt particularly intimate towards Tiff at the moment, and took the liberty of clambering into Tiff's bed, spooning her and burying her lips into the young pony's mane.

"Everything's okay, Tiff," Twilight whispered.

* * *

**Authors Note: Lame ending is lame, I know, I'm sorry D:**


	14. Derailed

**Author's Note: Trying my best to get back into the swing of regular weekly updates, but unfortunately this chapter did come 4 days later than I intended, so I'd like to apologize to my readers once more ): especially since this chapter doesn't really seem to be worth the wait. Sometime in the future, though I don't know when, I'm probably going to rewrite some chapters (this one especially). **

***Chapter Spoilers*(Updated Jan 13 2013): Changed Jessie's encounter with Darien, changing the dialogue and Darien's personality.  
**

**Jan 29 2013 News Update: No new chapters for a while, will currently be revising the entire story for grammar, punctuation, storyline consistency and overall scrapping bad ideas and plot elements while incorporating new ones in. Hopefully the entire process will be finished by the end of season 3. I plan on adding more chapters after season 3 because I don't want to be surprised with new plot elements I feel like I'd have to incorporate or work around (as an example, I planned on Discord somehow breaking free and wreaking havoc, then it turns out he became a good guy in the show), not to mention that incorporating elements as the season was going on just turned out to be one big mess.  
**

**Once I do upload chapter 15 (which I expect to be in a month, give or take a week) I'll have a list of what I changed in the story for those who don't feel like rereading through the whole thing.  
**

* * *

With a loud yawn and exaggerated stretching of his limbs, Jessie woke up from his slumber and rubbed the rheum from his eyes. He found that he was in his room, and he looked around in confusion, having no recollection of ever climbing into bed. Looking at Tiff's bed, rather than seeing the golden locks belonging to his sister, he saw Twilight's back. Leaning closer, he realized that she was spooning Tiff. Though a little mystified at Twilight's sudden candor, Jessie shrugged and rolled himself out of bed. Instinctively, he extended his hand towards the top of the dresser, but his hand grasped at nothing.

"Huh, must have left my glasses on the table. How did I get in here anyways?" Jessie took ginger steps towards the door, opening it and closing it softly behind him. Once he was outside the room, he heard two beings conversing up on the second floor of the library. After ascending the stairs, he saw that it was Princess Luna by a table being tended to by Spike.

"Would you like your tea warmed, princess?"

"Why yes, Spike, thank you." Spike blew a small gentle flame under the teacup that Princess Luna levitated until it began to lightly bubble. Princess Luna then took a dainty sip before noticing Jessie in the periphery of her vision. "Oh, so our champion is awake? I had expected you to be up-and-about much later considering how late you went to bed last night."

Jessie situated himself across from her. "How do you know how late I went to sleep?"

"That's because I was there," she answered quickly, before taking another sip of her tea. "You fell asleep looking up at the sky last night, but before you did, you thought you were already dreaming when you saw my face. Then you caressed my cheek."

Jessie's brow crinkled slightly. "I was _so sure _that was a dream." He then blushed and grinned apologetically at Princess Luna. "Ha… My bad. So what made you stop by? Another one of your late night checkups? Can't stop by in the mornings?"

"Well, I am a relatively nocturnal being, considering the nature of my duties, though I have been taking over other royal duties that my sister normally would be seeing to. She has been… not herself recently." Princess Luna placed her tea down and looked distantly to the side.

"Luna?"

"She won't tell me, but somehow, the crisis with Baade is affecting her on a personal level. But let us not talk about it. She'll tell me when she chooses to, I suppose."

Jessie nodded acceptingly and went on to a different topic. "I don't suppose you're familiar with the mirror pool?"

"I am, I've first heard about it one of the letters that Pinkie Pie had sent to my sister. I heard more about it after your confrontation with Baade, it's theorized that Baade could have used the pool's magic to make another copy of himself." Luna raised her teacup, took a sip, and then raised an eyebrow at Jessie questioningly. "Why do you ask?"

"Well… about that…" Jessie hesitated giving Luna the full details.

"I've actually examined the pool just recently and it appeared the pool has been completely drained of its magic, as I sensed none of it emanating from its depths," Luna went on, not seeming to notice Jessie's indecision.

_Drained of its magic? Did Baade make more duplicates of me? _"So, more bad humans running around. How are we going to deal with that?" Jessie voiced aloud.

"Actually, on the contrary, I believe we only have to worry about two, Baade, and the one Twilight had witnessed pulling him out of the river." Luna finished her cup of tea and placed her cup down upon the saucer. Jessie raised a skeptical eyebrow, asking for an explanation. "Whenever magic is performed, traces of magic would be left and most advanced users of magic can sense the traces. From what traces I can sense, it seems Baade had used the pool right before the two of you fought."

_Actually, right after he kicked my ass the first time_, Jessie corrected within his head.

"Seeing as how it was already a week after you fought Baade, the traces I felt were very faint, but from what I can gather, the mirror pool's magic had been consumed after one use."

"I'm guessing Pinkie must have used up most of it that one time."

Princess Luna shook her head at Jessie's theory. "I've sensed other spells used as well. They were smaller, minor, but I did see traces from what appeared to be an old spell scroll. From that, I can assume Baade must have done something to the pool to make it behave in a different manner."

_She's like the Sherlock Holmes of magic! _Jessie did his best to hide his discomfort at Luna's magical sleuthing abilities. He wasn't entirely sure why he chose to keep the identity of his hateful counterpart a secret but he was sure nothing good would come out of it being exposed.

"Baade's alterations to the pool's magical properties made it consume the rest of its magic in creating whatever being he wanted." Luna then gave Jessie a piercing look that had him taken slightly aback. "Now, you mention the topic of the pool because?"

_Ah crap, I think she got me_. "Um well," Jessie nervously began, rubbing the back of his head, "I…"

_Start lying now!_

_ Dammit brain, you came to bother me now?!_

_ We can't have you telling the truth now, can we?!_

_ Why not?!_

_ Think idiot. The fact that there's another human helping out Baade is all that matters, it couldn't matter less whether or not they think it's his duplicate or yours. By telling them that information now, they're just going to get mad at you for not telling them earlier. _

_ Really? That's your reasoning? They're gonna get mad at me?_

_ Well, I don't like it when people are mad…_

_ Dammit brain, you're the one making me mad right now._

"Um, Jess?" Spike nudged Jessie in the shoulder and Jessie was brought back from the depths of his mind.

"Huh, what?"

"You were just sitting there glaring at the table as if you were having an argument in your head," Luna told him.

"Oh, sorry, I tend to do that… Um, so what were we talking about?" Rather than answering his question, Luna and Spike continued to stare at him as if he were a peculiarity. The clopping sound of hooves ascending the stairs caught their attention, and they turned to see that it was Twilight coming up the steps.

"Good morning Twilight, had a nice time with my sister?" Jessie teased.

Twilight smirked at him and levitated his glasses onto his face. "Just about a good a time that you did with Fluttershy," she retorted.

"She told you?!"

"Well well well," Spike said tantalizingly over Jessie's shoulder.

Twilight giggled then bowed her head lightly towards Princess Luna. "And good morning to you too, Princess, have you had the conversation you needed to have with Jessie?"

"Ah, I had nearly forgotten," Luna directed her attention to Jessie, "Jessie, what would be the most easily sacrificial limb on the human body?"

Jessie gave Luna a look that asked her to elaborate but she continued to look at him innocently, prompting him to answer. "I'm guessing the pinky toe? All I ever do is bang it against the coffee table."

"Hmm…" Luna looked under the coffee table and examined Jessie's bare feet. "How about something more… accessible?"

Again, Jessie gave Luna a puzzled expression. "Uh, ring finger maybe?"

"Perfect, would you kindly extend your ring finger please?"

Luna's question of sacrificial limbs had unnerved Jessie, and he tentatively extended his shaky left hand towards Luna. Luna lowered her head and her horn made soft contact with Jessie's ring finger. A small glow emanated from the contact, and after a brief moment, it ended, and Luna raised her head away. On the finger that Luna had just touched was now a ring-like band of thorns tattooed with dark blue ink between the first and second knuckle of Jessie's ring finger.

"Hm? What's this for?" Jessie asked, rubbing the tattoo with his right thumb curiously. It didn't smudge, indicating its permanency.

"A magical energy restraint, or a 'seal' if you wish to use a smaller word," Luna informed him. Jessie scrutinized the seal momentarily and looked at Luna with a critical eye. Luna continued with her explanation. "As the name would imply, this seal restricts the amount of magic you can put out at one time."

"I don't understand… why would you put a seal on me?"

"Under certain laws, beings possessing exceptional magical capacities are to be monitored, kept in check, or heavily advised under the College of Magic. Twilight Sparkle," Luna nodded her horn at Twilight, "is monitored by my sister. Rather than having to place you under constant surveillance-"

"You place a seal on me so there's no need for me to have to be watched," Jessie completed. "But is this really a safe idea? With Baade running around, I might need my newly-intensified powers, otherwise…" Jessie trailed off, his point having been made.

"For the moment, we shouldn't have to worry too much about Baade. He does not have access to our kind of treatments and facilities. Any kind of recovery he'll be making will be much delayed; in fact, this little altercation you had with him may have bought us a lot of time. And if you do find that you still need access to your magical powers, why do you think I placed the seal on the second-most easily sacrificial limb on your body?"

Jessie blinked at Luna once before he realized what she was implying. "Wait a second, you're saying if I need my magic, I'm gonna have to cut my finger off?"

"My my, I thought you were bright Jessie, I assumed you would have come to that conclusion much earlier."

"Well pardon me, but I've never thought you would suggest something so… extreme."

"If I could join in on the conversation," Twilight spoke up, placing herself on an empty side of the table, "Why can't you just monitor Jessie, like how Celestia monitors me?"

Princess Luna frowned and hesitated slightly in giving Twilight her answer. "Well, as I've just been telling Jessie earlier, and please don't get too worried Twilight when I say this but, I can't monitor Jessie because I've had to take more of my sisters responsibilities and-"

"What's wrong with Princess Celestia?" Twilight interjected, the worry in her voice very evident.

"She's been depressed recently and-"

"Oh my gosh I have to go see her now!" Twilight practically leapt down the flight of stairs in a single bound.

Luna stood up from the table. "I'll be going too; I've business to settle with some of the dragons in the badlands. I'm actually hoping to have somepony correspond with them on a frequent basis, but obviously nopony is willing to do so."

"You could get Spike to do it," Jessie suggested, receiving a peeved look from Spike.

"Maybe after he's learned to fly. Well then," Luna stepped out on to the balcony, "I will, as they say, 'see you later'." Luna's wings unfurled with a mighty _swoosh_ and she took off into the air.

Hooves clambering up the stairs caught Jessie's and Spike's attention once more, and they were greeted by the sight of Twilight once again. "Jessie, aren't you coming?"

"Why do I have to-"

"_Just _come on!" Twilight's demand intimidated Jessie into running after her as she flew down the steps. As Jessie reached the bottom, a stack of books hovered in front of him, and he caught it before the books could hit the ground.

"Books?"

"You're going to study on the way to Canterlot," Twilight said as she trotted to the door.

"Seriously? You still haven't told me why I'm going in the-"

"Hurry up!"

"Yes, _mom!_"Jessie mocked, running after Twilight.

_All she needs is the ching-ching accent, the glasses, and a feather duster rod to slap you around with and you got yourself an Asian mom._

_ You said it, brain. _

* * *

Jessie and Twilight were now aboard the train to Canterlot, Twilight nervously fidgeting on the seat next to Jessie who flipped through the pages of a book with unmotivated flicks of his index finger.

"I still don't know why I have to come too," Jessie spoke up, yawning and placing the book to the side.

"Princess Celestia is depressed, I'm pretty sure it has to do with the new threat on Equestria, and with you getting into fights with Baade and nearly getting killed, I think it would make her feel better to see you recovering." Twilight then took notice of the book Jessie put down. "There's no way you're finished with that book already! Don't just skim through it!"

Jessie rolled his eyes and picked up the book with a disapproving curl of his lips. "I don't see how you could enjoy reading this kinda stuff." Jessie went through the rest of the books in the stack. "Oh hey, Daring Do!"

"Daring Do? That shouldn't be in-" The shrieking sound of train wheels screeching against the train rails pierced their ears, and Twilight and Jessie flew up the passenger cart as the train came to an abrupt stop. Jessie slammed into the door to the exit of the passenger cart, with Twilight tumbling unto him, breaking the door off its hinges and sending the pair into the next passenger cart.

"Ow."

"Sorry." Twilight pushed herself off Jessie and gave him a hoof up.

"I heard the train hit the brakes, but we stopped a lot sooner than expected, think we crashed into something?"

Twilight scratched her chin with her hoof in thought and nodded her head in agreement. "Maybe. You should run up ahead and check on the locomotive and the conductor while I check up on the passengers."

Jessie followed Twilight's suggestion and went up through the train, helping up other passengers that had fallen down. At a certain point, he was unable to go up any further from inside the train since several other carts and carriages earlier in the train's lineup had been derailed and unlinked on impact. From where he stood on the broken-linked platform, he could see the wreckage that had occurred to the front half of the train lineup. Several more passenger carriages, the dining car, and the caboose were either sprawled on the field to the left on the train tracks, or resting against the base of a mountain that flanked the right side of the tracks.

He saw ponies, injured ponies, climbing out of the carriages, some with broken limbs, others bleeding heavily, and others simply limp, unconscious (hopefully) and carried out by another. In the very front, where the locomotive should be, was a giant white hill in the middle of the tracks in which the engine had collided into, creating the crash. Jessie squinted at the hill in the distance.

"Is that… snow?"

"H-help… please…" an Earth pony whimpered from his right, near the mountainside. Somehow, her bottom right leg had been crushed by the side of a cart, and she now struggled to pull herself free. Jessie hopped off the platform and ran towards the mare. He gripped the railing from the underside of the cart, which now ran perpendicular to the sky, and attempted to lift it up.

_Let's see how much magic this seal prevents. _Jessie managed to lift the entire cart an inch before his strength began to fail him. _Crap, it holds back almost all of it, I'm not gonna be able to get her outta there. Don't tell me I have to cut it off already. _As Jessie began to lower the cart, the mare began to squeal at the pain, and Jessie hoisted the fallen cart upwards once more, exerting every bit of both his physical and magical strength.

"You're gonna have to pull yourself out," Jessie explained through gritted teeth. The muscles and veins in his neck bulged as he held the cart an inch higher than before.

"It hurts to move…"

"It's better to take the pain now; I can't do this for much longer…"

"I'm sorry, I can't!"

As Jessie's strength gave out, the toppled carriage was ensnared in Twilight's magic, and she lifted it up and away, freeing the pony underneath. Jessie then gently carried the mare and cradled her in a princess's carry, walked over to the field on the left side of the tracks, and placed her on the ground in a line where Twilight had all the other severely injured ponies. The other ponies from the undamaged half of the train began to emerge from their carts and rushed over to the wreckage, attempting to help any pony they could find.

"Jessie, go run up to the engine and see if you can find the train operator," Twilight ordered. Jessie nodded and jogged to the locomotive. The front half of the engine had plunged into the pile of, what Jessie has now definitively confirmed as, snow. Ignoring the abnormality of its presence, Jessie attempted to pry the door open, but found that the crash had warped the door within its frame, making it stuck. Jessie grabbed the door handle with both hands and placed his foot on the side of the engine as he pulled with all his strength.

"Dammit, open already… let's go… kamehameha… Fus Ro Dah… by the power of Grayskull!" Jessie wrenched the door open and found the operator half buried in a small pile of snow that had poured in. Jessie placed his index and middle finger on the inside of the conductor's jawbone, feeling his pulse, before pulling the pony out.

"It's alright, I got you, let's get you outta here." Jessie carried him from the wreckage to the field where everypony was gathered, the non-injured tending to the injured. After placing the unconscious colt down, he walked over to Twilight, who levitated the conductor's passenger list in front of her and checked off names as she called them out. For the unconscious ponies, they were accounted for by somepony else.

"Well, everypony is accounted for," Twilight said, putting down the list. Everypony and Jessie all released a relieved sigh, knowing that nopony else was trapped underneath the wreckage.

"What about casualties?" Jessie asked Twilight.

"We have several ponies unconscious; at least I hope they're only unconscious, and just as many needing immediate medical care. I'll do what I can with my magic but…"

"But?"

Twilight frowned and gave Jessie a nearly pleading look. "I'm going to need a lot of magical energy, more than I have within myself."

Jessie rolled his tongue in his cheek and nodded softly, understanding what Twilight was implying. "Yeah, okay… Just let me find something to, well, you know…"

"Did you learn the energy transferal spell?"

"Read up on it, I'm pretty sure I could do it." Jessie looked around for something he could use, and spotted a shard of metal that appeared to be a piece of the train nearby on the ground. Jessie crouched down and picked it up, testing the edges with his thumb. "This should do it. Didn't think I'd actually needed to do it so soon though…"

He picked up the shard and walked back to the train wreckage, using an upset carriage as a surface on which to place his left hand. He gripped the shard tightly in his right, using what little magic he had access to shield the edges, and raised it right above his left ring finger. His right hand trembled immensely, and he had already made several motions to stab at his ring finger, but stopped just before the point can pierce the skin.

_Dammit, don't be a little bitch, there are lives at stake. Just gotta go for it. Right now! _Jessie plunged the shard downwards but stopped once more.

_Shit! Why is this so hard, it's just a fucking ring finger! _Jessie's heart began to pound against the walls of its cavity, he entered a cold sweat, and he started to pant a little, the stress of what he had to do beginning to take his toll on him.

_C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!_

"Jessie?" Twilight called from the field.

_What do you know… of sacrifice? _

The serpent's words from some time ago reverberated within his mind and began to embolden every fiber of his being. He looked down at his ring finger and clenched his teeth, ready to plunge the fragment into his appendage. Steeling his nerves, the shard descended and penetrated his finger, stabbed right below where the seal was placed.

"Ah! Crap…" Jessie looked over his wound, and found that he had only penetrated a quarter through the bone. _This is going to suck. _**(Authors Note: Hmm, seems I take some sadistic pleasure in mutilating Jessie 0.o)**

"It's done," Jessie said, raising his left hand and revealing the bloody stump that remained of his ring finger at Twilight. She beckoned him over and had him stand to her left, in front of the group of ponies that required immediate medical attention. Jessie placed his right hand on Twilight's back and closed his eyes, channeling his magic into her.

"Thanks for doing this, Jessie," Twilight said, her eyes shut as she began to weave the magic that started to flow within her.

"It's nothing, especially compared to an arm. But seriously, how bad is my luck that within an hour of receiving this seal, I'd end up having to cut it off?"

"Very bad indeed." Twilight's horn began to glow and the mortally injured ponies were bathed in a violet-pink aura. As Jessie powered Twilight, he felt that the spell demanded more and more power and Jessie in turn began to feel more and more exhausted.

Once Twilight finished the spell, she and Jessie collapsed to their knees, panting heavily.

"Where'd you learn… to do that?" Jessie asked between breaths, falling unto his back. He tore off a piece of his shirt from the sleeve and wrapped it around his severed appendage.

"I've been practicing… my healing spells… ever since your fight with Baade," Twilight answered, just as exhausted.

"They sure… take a lot… of energy…"

Twilight nodded in agreement and pushed herself up, examining the lethally wounded ponies. Their injuries were much less severe now, though medical attention was still needed for all of them. She looked over at the pile of snow the engine was half-buried in and pressed her lips together in thought.

"Jessie, you had a good look at that pile of white… stuff, tell me, is that snow?"

Jessie pushed himself up to a sitting position and nodded. "Yeah, that's right. I thought it was pretty weird too. Maybe it fell off the mountain?"

Twilight looked up at the mountain on the right side of the tracks and shook her head. "I don't know; there doesn't seem to be any sign of an avalanche. And the mound of snow seems pretty small for an avalanche too."

"But it just so happens that heap of snow is just big enough to stop the train," Jessie observed.

"Meaning somepony must have put it there," Twilight deducted. "But why?" A cold shiver went down Jessie's spine as he thought of Baade.

_That guy sure liked to use ice. _

A groan escaped from the once unconscious train operator, and Twilight trotted over to him. "Sir, are you okay?"

"I'm so sorry," he said weakly, the words barely audible. "I swear I didn't see it until we rounded the turn. I pulled on the brake but it was already too late…"

"Sir, it's alright, nopony else could have seen it coming. You should rest while we wait for help to arrive." As Twilight turned around to walk away, he grabbed her back leg.

"Wait. You may not believe me when I say this, but I swear I saw it." The train operator sounded nearly hysterical. Intrigued, Jessie got up from where he was sitting and approached the train operator, crouching down so he could hear. He released Twilight's leg and looked at them, begging them to believe the words that will soon depart his mouth.

"A wendigo! I saw a wendigo! I swear!" he exclaimed, with a loudness that contradicted his earlier quieter demeanor.

The other ponies that were onboard the train overheard his manic cries, and all began to fuss and converse madly.

"A wendigo? Those things are still around?!"

"No way could it have been a wendigo!"

"That pony must have gone crazy!"

"Then how in the world do you explain the snow pile on the tracks?"

"A weather pony must have done it as a prank!"

"This is too much for a prank, I think some bandits must have set it up!"

"Bandits? Where?!"

"Everypony, calm down!" Twilight shouted, silencing all the ponies on the field. She then directed her attention back to the train operator. "If there's anything else you saw, do tell, but much more quietly this time."

"Well, there's one other thing." The train operator swallowed hard and looked at Jessie. "I saw somepony that looked like you riding on top of it." Jessie's brows furrowed and leaned in closer to the train operator.

"What do you mean 'looked like me'? Explain," he said in an interrogative manner, like a detective shaking down a perp. The colt was astonished by Jessie's sudden assertiveness and bumbled to answer his question.

"Er, I dunno, looked like you, I mean I didn't see his face or her face, but y'know, has uh, like your things-"

"Same anatomical structure?" Twilight clarified. The train operator nodded furiously.

"Yes, yes, that's right!"

Jessie sighed and fell back onto his rump. _That was a close one. _Twilight looked at him and motioned her head to the side, indicating she wanted to talk somewhere else. Jessie got up and the two walked a few meters from the rest of the ponies on the field and conversed in hushed tones.

"This must be the other human I saw pulling Baade out of the river, what's he or she-"

_He, _Jessie pointed out within his own mind.

"-doing riding a wendigo?"

Jessie shrugged, though secretly he knew the answer. Wendigo's feed off anger and hate, and who is better to call master than one who is comprised of such emotions?

"We can only assume that this person's intended target was not the train but rather, us," Twilight concluded. Jessie nodded though he kept silent. "And that must mean this person must have been watching us," Twilight went on. Again, Jessie kept silent. "What I really want to know is why hasn't this person come back and checked whether or not he or she accomplished their job?"

"Maybe," Jessie said, finally speaking up, "we weren't the intended targets in the first place. Perhaps it was just a senseless act of terrorism."

"That… makes some sense I guess," Twilight conceded.

_Oh that's horse shit and you know it! No offense Twilight. _

_ Okay, first off, Twilight can't hear you, secondly, why the hell have you been more vocal, brain? _

_ Things happen man. Things happen. _

_ Whatever the hell that means. So what do you mean horseshit?_

_ Do I have to do all the thinking around here?!_

_ Well, _you _are the brain._

_ Oh, haha smart ass. C'mon, you and I know who that person really is, and you and I know that what he wants, is you. _

_ He's perfectly free to come get me now, while I'm still exhausted. _

_ Don't be an idiot; he's a manifestation of your anger and hatred. And when you're angry, you tend to get-_

_ Dramatic, yeah I know. He's probably going to wait for me to be alone. _

_ Too bad that's not going to happen. Right?_

_ …_

_ … You're planning on confronting him, aren't you?_

_ Maybe._

"Jessie?"

Jessie flinched away from Twilight as he returned to being self-aware.

"Jessie, you okay? You were literally burning a hole into the ground." Twilight pointed at a blackened spot in the grass in front of him.

"Sorry, just deep in thought is all." Jessie got up and patted his legs down. "So when do you think help's going to arrive?"

"I released a magical flare a minute ago while you were um… thinking. It could be a while though, considering we're nowhere near either Ponyville or Canterlot."

It took three hours before helped arrived, though luckily ample medical transport had arrived from Canterlot. After all the seriously injured were taken, an hour later more transport came and began loading the uninjured passengers for rides to Canterlot. By now, it was an hour past noon.

"It'll probably be until tomorrow before we can get a crew over here to deal with the wreck," an inspector pony informed Twilight. "The investigation ponies will be arriving sometime in the evening."

"Thank you inspector, I guess that'll be all." Twilight gave the inspector a curt nod dismissing the inspector who stepped into a four-pony carriage. Twilight then turned back to the wreckage, finding Jessie, his arms crossed, standing and staring at the crash. "Jessie, everpony's leaving now. Aren't you coming."

"I'll think I'll just stick around and wait for the investigation ponies. Might be useful to have a witness on hand."

"But what about Princess Celestia?"

"Don't worry, I'll be there." Jessie turned and gave Twilight a reassuring smile.

"Well, okay then, I'll see you at the Canterlot castle?"

"Sure thing." Jessie waved at Twilight as she entered the carriage being pulled by a rather large and powerful Earth Pony. Within a minute, that crash site had been vacated, with only Jessie left standing on the field. He then looked up the mountain, his eyes scanning the thick fog that gathered near its summit.

Not surprising to Jessie, the fog parted, revealing the icy-blue transparent equine mount bearing its malicious rider. It swooped down towards Jessie, and as it drew near, flakes of snow began to descend from above, a chill enveloped Jessie, and his breath began to become visible. As it neared the earth, the wendigo pulled up and skidded its feet dramatically on the ground, digging it's hooves into the dirt. When it came to a stop, its rider hopped off its back and approached Jessie.

The rider was dressed in a light blue hooded robe, somewhat matching the wendigo's color. His hood was pulled over his head, and he wore a white cloth mask that covered his nose and mouth, leaving his eyes the only thing visible, albeit just barely under the shadow of the hood.

"A wendigo huh? Nice ride." Jessie spoke with a bored tone and took an aggressive step forward. The wendigo rider pulled down his hood and mask, revealing his face. It was as Jessie expected, his own face, but mirrored. While Jessie's scar started over his left eyebrow and descended diagonally across his face under his right eye, his doppelganger's started above his right eyebrow and ended under his left eye. "So," Jessie went on, "I'm here, you're here. I take it things are about to get a little messy from here."

The doppelganger merely responded with an icy glare that sent a shiver down Jessie's spine.

"Huh, for a being of anger, you seem awfully, dispassionate," Jessie remarked, wiping off the flakes of snow that started to build up on his shoulders.

"Anger you say? Well, then, I'm sure it'll come as quite a shock when I inform you that there is actually very little anger within me at all," the doppelganger stated, prompting Jessie to cock his head slightly to the side in confusion.

"Um, I don't…"

"Allow me to elaborate. I've been informed about my… _conception_, how I was made from an emotion within you. Baade had assumed he pulled out anger _and _hatred but the spell he used only allowed for _one _emotion. I'm sure you could draw your own conclusion as to what is the very fabrication of my being."

"Cotton candy, I hope," was Jessie's sarcastic reply.

The clone's face remained impassive. "Hm, humor. Baade quite often makes jokes as well, many I do find quite witty, but I have never, ever laughed. I do wonder why he continues to make jokes."

Jessie grimaced. "Huh, a meeting between you and Pinky Pie is going to be interesting."

"Who?"

"Nobody. Anyways…" An awkward silence arose, and Jessie looked at his clone expectantly. "Well?"

"Well, what? You stayed here, waiting for me, obviously you wanted my attention, well now you have it."

Jessie's jaw dropped in disbelief as he looked at his clone incredulously. "You serious? You mean to tell me that snow-pile trap you set up wasn't a means to get my attention?"

"Of course not," the clone said a-matter-of-factly. "It was simply meant to kill you. Looks like the plan failed, quite horribly in fact, doesn't appear I had managed to kill anyone at all."

Jessie continued to stare at his duplicate disbelievingly. "And you didn't attack me when I was exhausted of my magic because?"

"You ran out of magic? Huh, that would have been an opportune time to attack you. Guess I must have missed it." The duplicate's tone was monotonous and devoid of any emotion.

_Dude, you got lucky._

_ Seriously, shut up, brain. _

"Talking to a voice inside your head?" the clone spoke up.

Jessie looked at his clone in slight amazement. "Yeah, how did you know?"

"I got one too." The clone pointed a finger at the side of his own head in emphasis. "Annoying thing, often makes snarky or sarcastic little comments, belittles and teases me. But on occasion does provide some insight."

"Yeah… same here."

The awkward silence returned, and the two were back to staring blankly at each other. The wendigo whinnied impatiently, and the clone placed a soothing palm on the side of its face.

"Huh, you're awfully nurturing for a being… hatred?" Jessie asked hesitantly. The clone nodded, confirming Jessie's assumption. "That is correct. And in regards to this companionship I have with Wendy here-"

"You named your wendigo, Wendy?"

"You and I both know you would have done the same thing."

"… Yeah."

"As I was saying, Wendy here is a being just like me. She cannot exist without hatred, as I cannot exist, without your hatred. If I have a friend in the world, it is she." The clone caressed wendy's mane affectionately, though his face remained emotionless.

"This is probably against my better judgment," Jessie spoke up, trying to ease his discomfort, "but what's your name?"

"Pardon?"

"You have one, don't you?"

The doppelganger scratched his chin in thought. "Baade calls me 'son'. Wendy here does not call me anything. Perhaps I could make one of my own this instant. How's Darien? I think I'll go with Darien."

"That's lame."

"You and I both know how incredibly jealous you are of my new name."

"… Damn you."

"Now if I may ask a question in return?"

Jessie eyes Darien suspiciously, wondering what sort of question he has for him. "I'll hear you out, but I can't guarantee an answer."

Darien paused momentarily, perhaps wondering whether or not he should ask, or simply for dramatic effect. "Why… do you want to kill yourself?"

Jessie stared hard at Darien before answering. "No way. I don't know where you got that-"

"Do not play me for a fool," Darien interjected, "after all, you are no fool yourself. Of course you seem to be deluding yourself. My entire being came from you, including this overwhelming desire to kill you."

Jessie remained tight-lipped, a tiger-like glare slowly appearing on his face.

"Ah, a touchy subject for then," Darien observed. "You _hate _yourself. You want to _kill _yourself. You must have done _something_. Something you despise. And yet something holds you back. What is it?"

"I'm not answering any of your questions," Jessie growled, his voice coated in vehemence.

"A trade then," Darien proposed, "Although I've already answered one of _your _questions, I'll agree to answering another one of yours should you choose to answer one of mine. Deal?"

Jessie wasted no time in voicing out his question. "Where's Baade?"

"Ah ah ah!" Darien chastised. "I, having proposed the deal, deserve to have one of my questions answered first, don't I? Well, there's two to choose from, so go ahead and pick one."

Jessie bit his bottom lip as he pondered over which question to choose. The answer to one question forces him to reveal important sensitive information. But the answer to another forces him to relive memories too painful for him to bear. Jessie now gnawed nervously at the inside of his cheek before opening his mouth hesitantly, and speaking.

"My… my sister. She's what held me back." As soon as the words left his mouth, Jessie felt an intense amount of regret that weigh in heavily on his chest.

_Dammit, not he knows about Tiff and she's going ot be in danger. Stupid stupid stupid stupid…_

"A sister you say? Older or younger?"

"I'm not answering that, I think I deserve mine in return, first," Jessie stated, trying to deprive Darien of any more information regarding his sister.

Darien pursed his lips reproachfully; the only modicum of emotion Jessie had gleaned from Darien so far in their meeting. "You should know, the answer to your question is quite a heavy one, almost unfair."

"You made the deal," Jessie retorted, "don't chicken out now."

Darien sighed distastefully, showing emotion for the second time. "He's… not here in this land. Not in Equestria."

After Darien answered Jessie's question, for the third time, an obstinate silence appeared between the two. Jessie used this time to assess the situation. Right now, he was standing in front of his clone who wants to kill him, and a wendigo that will do anything his clone says. Jessie recovered some of his magic from earlier, though he was still quite exhausted, and while he didn't sense much power coming from his clone, the power he sensed from the wendigo seemed enough when combined with Darien's could easily match his.

Darien also seemed to be analyzing the circumstance, though looked much more open to revealing the fact that he was, right thumb and index finger cupping his chin while he held his right elbow with his left hand, in a thinking posture.

"We seem to be at an impasse," Darien spoke up first. "Shall we fight, or part ways?"

Jessie sucked the inside of his cheek, having been rubbed raw from the earlier mastication. He had absolutely no idea what to do, hoping his doppelganger would have taken the lead. They _should_ be fighting; after all, they are enemies. But, the risk is too high, especially when his enemy is small fry compared to the big bad guy that is Baade.

"I've been wondering," Jessie began, not directly answering Darien's question. "For someone who really wants to kill me, why haven't you tried anything?"

"Oh but I did," Darien pointed at the wreckage behind Jessie, "it didn't work."

"And what about now?" Jessie asked.

Darien tapped the temple of his head with an index finger. "The voice says it's a bad idea. And I agree. I want to kill you, so very much, but I also want to live. But, _we are _enemies, so we shouldn't simply walk away from this little meeting uninjured, no?" Darien took a small step forward and, as expected of a mirror copy, entered a southpaw boxing stance, leading with his right side while favoring the left.

Jessie looked at Darien incredulously. "A boxing bout? You serious?"

Darien shrugged lightly. "It feels natural to me. I don't know the reason why. You too should feel the same; I do not see why you are so averse to it." Jessie eyed the wendigo warily. "Do not worry about her," Darien assured, "just you and me, and a relatively 'friendly' boxing match."

The worried expression on Jessie's face slowly transformed into a cocky grin as he entered his boxing stance, leading with his left and favoring the right. "All right then. Let's do this."

* * *

Twilight waited by the Canterlot gates, nervously waiting for Jessie's arrival. What if the wendigo rider had gone back and dealt with Jessie? What if he was now lying on the ground, cold, eyes white, skin drained of color, body dis-

"Twilight!" A familiar voice called out to her. She peered into the distance and saw the humanoid figure of Jessie, running up and waving at her. Once he was near, he slowed to a stop, bent over and supported his upper body by placing his hands on his knees, and panted heavily. "The inspector ponies… decided to stay… so I got impatient and ran here…" He fell to the ground at Twilight's feet. "Second time today… I'm out of breath…."

She looked down at his face and smiled, though it quickly faded when she saw the cut on his bottom lip. "What's that?"

"Um, I fell."

"You're lying."

"Okay fine, I got into a fist fight with the wendigo rider."

She blinked at him once before rolling her eyes and groaning. "Sure, okay, don't tell me. Well, c'mon get up already, we have to check in on the princess. Oh, by the way, do you still have your finger? I should be able to reattach it."

Jessie blinked dumbly at Twilight and laughed nervously. "Uhh…"

"You can't see the princess with a missing finger!"

"Don't tell me I have to run back?"

"Gah! Just keep your hand in your pocket or something. Now get up, we have to see what's wrong with princess Celestia." Twilight began to walk away, and Jessie, still quite tired, weakly picked himself off the ground and slowly stumbled after her.

_She seems awfully moody._

_The princess is depressed, of course she is. _

_Oh yeah… right…_


End file.
